You Are (Not) Merely a Mortal
by Maylay20XX
Summary: Three Children. Two soldiers. One terror. The dominion of Angels has come to an end, but the war has not ended yet. (Eventual romance; thus rating pending) Please R&R!
1. Chapter 01

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Please do not post reviews if you are merely stating grammatical errors/writing flaws. Send me PM's for those kinds of comments, please, or you will be blocked. Not try to sound mean or anything, but please just try to cooperate. Thank you! ^^  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 01<strong>

The area had been surrounded by fog. No man knew the whereabouts of this place, only the fact that there was such a place. In this gloomy realm, a boy in his late teens stood across from a younger boy in early adolescence.

"Are you afraid?" The young boy asked.

"No." The elder boy standing ahead of him replied.

"Oh… I wish I was as brave as you." He responded faintly.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Everything."

The elder boy looked at him disdainfully, shaking his head languidly. He walked up to the younger boy, gazing straight down upon the younger boy with utmost discontent.

"Why are you afraid? Have you already discarded all there is to keep moving forward?" The elder boy asked furiously. The younger boy fidgeted in reply.

"I-I just have to run away. I'm a hopeless kid stuck in a dumb war. Just look at what it's done to everybody. What's the use in continuing on or even facing it for that matter?"

The elder boy was aggravated even more by his remarks.

"So that's a reason to keep running away? Not facing the problem up forth because you know you're powerless?"

"You know it to be true…" The younger boy paused frightfully, hesitating to choose his next words. "You know more than anybody else, don't you?"

"Absolutely not!" The older boy abruptly responded, "Why can't you take a moment to embrace what you love most, then protect it with all you have?"

"B-but…But…!" The young boy wailed, "You don't mean making the impossible possible, don't you?"

"Absolutely. So why can't you do so now?" The elder boy confessed more calmly.

"Because…" The young boy did not utter a word for a long moment, "Have you ever wondered that we're dealing with the forces of God, here?"

The elder boy felt bitter once again. He felt pure pity for this younger boy, so timid and fragile. He felt that this was not a time for fear, nor a time for negligence. This boy had to be taught of the ways that he, himself, had adopted throughout his own boyhood.

"You'd have to be a fool to believe that nonsense! There is no being called God, and even if there is one, there is only a will by us humans towards achieving our successes. Tell me, how would you go on to propose peace had the responsibility been taken into your hands?"

"I'm trying to tell you…we can't! Have you seen it? That evil that's running amuck over the world? They've come to kill us all. You don't know yet do you? We failed already! Everybody is dead."

A sudden urge ran through the elder boy to wrap his hands around this boy's neck and kill him. How could a child like this be lacking of all hope and willpower? Is it just his innocence and immaturity that's causing him to think so? Does this boy have some truth in what he's saying? Impossible.

"Then…" The elder boy prepared to tell him now the truth, "You're better off dying along with the rest of them." The elder boy turned around and walked back towards the doldrums.

"You're afraid too, aren't you?" The younger boy worriedly remarked.

"No." The elder boy hastily answered.

"I-I'm telling you. You've been through it more than I have and you're just gonna die like everyone else!" The younger boy fell to his knees, tearing.

"Shut up…" The elder boy murmured.

"Don't go! Just run while you still can!" The young boy's words rang throughout the atmosphere.

The elder boy heard these words as though a bullet shot through his head. He couldn't believe how some people were so foolish to lack all faith. He had made his decision now. He was going to kill this boy. The younger boy was better off dead, and that must've been what he wished. There's no room for the weak in a time for war, and now was the time to rid one soul of his misery.

The elder boy ferociously flung himself around, laying his eyes upon the younger boy. He jumped towards him with his arms held out in front of him, ready to entangle the boy's neck with his fingertips.

However, a flash from out of nowhere blinded him in his fury. He landed on his knees, covering his face from the mighty radiance it suddenly became. The light faded slowly as he continuously gazed upon the light under his eyes, and eventually he found himself standing before a girl. He stood up and observed her features - stunningly beautiful face, long, silvery white hair, rather shorter in stature than he, and wore no garments - described the being before him.

The elder boy could not take his eyes off the fascination of this girl. He had completely forgotten about the young boy whom he intended to kill, and now laid his eyes upon the wonder he's witnessing now. He felt a little fright sending chills through his veins, but he wanted to know this girl more. He raised his hand out slowly just to touch her, to _connect_. Could she be, perhaps, an _angel_? This was the sign of hope, and she was the beacon to guide him away from all of the fear he had been hiding. _Fear_? He is admitting to it now despite the young boy's warning? His hand slowly lowered as this thought slowly possessed him. The girl before him shook her head all of a sudden. He glanced at her, wondering what her dissatisfaction could be.

"You cannot prevail..." The girl whispered.

The face of this beautiful girl suddenly began to crumble away. A blackish aura flooded the entire area, clouding around her naked body and slowly merging into a robe. The wind suddenly gave a powerful gust, knocking the boy onto his feet. The girl - now the monster - stared down at the elder boy. Her intimidating stare aroused a sense of extreme despair within the boy. However, it suddenly came only to be a vision. In an instant, she vanished.

The boy could no longer move or speak a word to define the horror he had just witnessed. He looked upon the sky, still eclipsed under a thick layer of darkness. He felt his body wither away, becoming one with the deep mist.

* * *

><p>"Heero<strong>[1]<strong>? Heero! Speak to me, pal!" Duo's**[2]** voice echoed through the cockpit.

Heero slowly regained his consciousness. The cluttered space he was in seemed to be very blurred. He waited it out for a little while, and finally regained his vision fully in moments. He gently placed his hand on his forehead, taking a deep breath, and finally began to speak.

"I'm here. What's going on?" Heero replied quietly.

"About time you're awake. You've been asleep inside of your Gundam**[3]** for hours already! Sure I could've just knocked on that cockpit door of yours, but there's no way through that tough metal would wake you up." Duo humorously said.

Heero flipped on the communication system inside his Gundam. He could now see Duo being emitted in front of him, appearing to be all relaxed and laid back. Heero wondered what he was acting so cool about.

"Do you know where we are?" Heero asked.

"You bet I do! According to the latitude-longitude coordinates, we're somewhere off the Kanto region of Japan. I ain't sure how we ended up here but hey, coincidences happen, right?" Duo said with a brief chuckle.

"Sure."

Heero laid his hands on the main controls of his mobile suit. With a swift push of the thrusting handlebars in front of him, he felt slightly arisen. Wing Gundam Zero**[4]** came to its feet, standing tall over the entire countryside he was in. Heero immediately switched on the display through the Gundam's internal camera system, and then caught a glimpse of this area. Like he assumed, he witnessed the numerous trees surrounding this place. He, alongside Duo's Gundam, Deathscythe Hell**[5]**, were standing atop of a crater. This crater was obviously made by some kind of impact from the Gundams onto this soil.

"Say, Heero?" Duo questioned.

"Hm?"

"Ya think that these Gundams would be totaled by now after we, um…Supposedly crashed into this place? I gotta tell you right now that Deathscythe has already taken quite a bruising. I mean, get a load of these damage reports!" Duo excitingly exclaimed. "So whaddya think we oughta do? I say we abandon the Gundams for now and just check this place out on foot for a while. I've just been waiting in here for you to wake up, is all."

"We're still not aware of this place, are we?" Heero asked.

"Well, I got coordinates here like I would back at home. How different could it be? We probably just went back in time for all we know."

Heero closed his eyes and sunk his head down a little bit. He vaguely remembered what happened just before he fell into somewhat of a coma. He questioned himself over and over, trying to regain a hint of remembrance of the events that happened before he tumbled into a deep sleep. Heero, at this point, could only accept what Duo's suggesting, that they went back in time.

"Hello? Buddy, you there?" Duo interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm going forth with Zero. If you're positive we went back In time, then our best option would be to go forth with the Gundams and keep our guard up. Understood?" Heero thoroughly explained.

"You sure know what you're doing, don't ya? I'm sure whenever we encounter any people around this parts we'll just give 'em the good ol' 'We come in peace' speech." Duo said.

"Just follow my lead for now." Heero said, shutting off his communication system. Duo shrugged in response inside of his own Gundam, and he rose Deathscythe onto its feet, as well.

Heero took a moment to pinpoint Duo's coordinates. He input the location of Japan, and slowly the system circumnavigated the Earth until it pinpoint on the country of Japan. Duo was correct, by pure coincidence; they must've landed in this particular region. He scanned his location a bit further, and read that the nearest possible civilization nearby would be Tokyo only about three hundred kilometers from this spot. _This would be the best place to settle down and figure out where we're at_, thought Heero.

He prepared to take flight with Wing Zero. The Gundam spread its large, majestic angelic wings, planted its feet into the ground, and set a course of flight to take off. In an instant, he took off, soaring towards the skies at hypersonic speeds. Heero checked behind him, and realized Duo has taken flight as well. The two Gundams were soaring through the skies of this supposedly new planet Earth, awaiting any form of civilization at any first sight.

"So do you mind telling me where we're going first, Heero?" Duo asked while maintaining his flight speed.

"We're headed eastward to Tokyo. My plan is to find a fair location along outside the borders of the city to leave these mobile suits behind, hide them in a secure and concealed location, and we'll proceed into the city like ordinary civilians." Heero described thoroughly.

"Welp, you're calling the shots, buddy." Duo shrugged again and said.

Heero and Duo remained flying for a few more minutes. They both took the time to observe the rather impressing features of this place. Heero was astounded by the trees and mountains that flourished the area from below. He witnessed right now a forest that was like a sanctuary. There was no fighting below him, none done by human arms or through mobile suits. He still shook his head in grief, however. He was still unsure what this world – this realm – was exactly.

The navigation system within the Gundam alerted Heero he was approaching Tokyo at this moment. It would be approximately three minutes before they'd be soaring directly above the city.

"We'll land here. We shouldn't be seen hovering over the city."

"Roger that, pal." Duo replied as he began looking downward.

The boys halted their Gundams to a stop, now floating in midair. Duo descended first, spreading Deathscythe's wings a little bit out farther in order to make this descent. Heero followed, calmly and slowly lowering himself in his mobile suit down to ground level. In just a few minutes, both suits had hit the hard Earth soil. Heero looked ahead and noticed a skyline over the horizon, indicating civilization was only about a dozen miles away. He immediately contacted Duo.

"Okay, now lay the Gundams down in a position where we can keep them hidden. As long as nobody sees them while heading past this area, we should be-"

"Heero! Did you hear that?" Duo interrupted loudly.

Heero paused in confusion. He heard nothing right now. He remained completely silent and tried to listen for anything. Finally, he heard some kind of an echo ringing throughout the open air. It was a voice of a woman, over what sounded to be a public address system:

_A state of special emergency has been declared all over Kanto and Chubu districts around Tokai district. Please take refuge in the designated shelters._

"Did you hear that, Heero? They've been repeating that the past couple minutes when I was just trying to land this thing." Duo exclaimed.

This alarmed Heero all of a sudden. _A special emergency? Take refuge in shelters?_ The civilians of this city more than likely assumed that he and Duo were intruders of some sort. Heero immediately hypothesized they did not go back in time.

Heero suddenly felt a crash hitting him from behind! He turned around, noticing a missile turret planted into the ground. There were several turrets lined across the highway where that one turret lay, each aiming directly towards Wing Zero and Deathscythe.

"I guess a 'We come in peace' speech would come in handy now, would-?" Duo shrieked and jumped all of a sudden. Heero noticed a small barrage of missiles struck him from behind. Deathscythe rumbled violently as Duo tried to hold tight onto the cockpit chair. "Maybe I can wait a little while!"

Heero shook his head at Duo's stubbornness. He turned directly towards the missile turrets. Up from Wing Zero's shoulders bolted out two machine cannons**[6]**. Heero locked onto the turrets lined across from him and immediately fired numerous rounds at them. Upon impact from Wing Zero's ammunition, they were destroyed in an instant.

Duo, simultaneously, drew out a large rod from Deathscythe's side. Immediately, a large, green beam of energy sprung out of one handle into the curve of a scythe, becoming the deadly beam scissors**[7]**. Heero had noticed a flurry of missiles heading his direction. Duo immediately jumped in front of Wing Zero and slashed through the incoming projectiles with a swift slash. They both then found another line of turrets ahead of them. Duo plunged forward, maneuvering Deathscythe and avoiding the multitudes of missiles darting towards him. He lifted the beam above his head, and flung the blade down horizontally along the line of turrets, destroying them instantly.

"Heero, we better get outta here! I don't think these people are very welcoming...at all." Duo shuddered and said.

"Right. We'll take the skies going westward, and..."

_Go forward, Heero._

Heero trembled in the cockpit chair. Who said that? He thought. It was the voice of a girl, her voice very soft and elegant. It was most mysterious above all, since it suddenly rang through his head. What was even more mysterious was this voice was telling him what to do. He gripped the control yokes of the cockpit tighter, questioning now whether to tall this girl's advice or to flee.

"Yo, Heero? Where did you say we're going?" Duo asked.

Heero faltered in trying to state his response. He lowered his head, giving his decision, "Keep going forward with your Gundam. We have to make it into that city."

"Are you blinding insane, pal? We're just gonna end up hurting civilians in a city trying to defend itself! They probably even think we're aliens of some sort trying to invade their precious city! We're shrimp on skewers if we go in there!" Duo returned.

"Just do as I say, alright? We'll do our best to proceed without hurting any innocent lives." Heero responded quickly as he took flight once more, soaring straight towards the city. Duo sighed in mild grief as he followed Wing Zero.

Heero noticed even more ballistics propelling towards the two Gundams. He immediately drew from the recharge racks within its wings a blade handle, and ignited from the handle a long rod of energy, the beam saber**[8]**. There were about a dozen missiles flying straight into him. He swung the blade in front of him, destroying half of the incoming missiles. He maneuvered his Gundam avoiding the rest, but immediately finished them with several fires from the unit's machine cannons.

The two pilots, for about five more minutes, continued to fight off the countless incoming missiles and bullets that were racing towards them in every direction. Duo remained ascended for most of the time, but frequently dove down whenever he found a source of the shooting and disposed of them with Deathscythe's beam scissors. Heero remained in midair, shooting every missile that was on course hitting his Gundam. The boys eventually came to realize they were now coming slower and slower.

They descended into the ground when the projectiles seemingly stopped firing. The various turrets scattered all over the area were either destroyed or out of ammunition, Heero assumed. They now observed the city itself, very quiet was the place. The ground began to shake mildly, however. Heero observed his surroundings more, and suddenly noticed the buildings were sinking! At the same time, the boys realized there were buildings also rising from the ground – but they were no ordinary buildings. Judging by their shape and appearance, they looked more like to be containers of some kind. The city had morphed into an enormous fortress, Heero thought. Only a few civilian buildings remained visible while the other structures were these supposed weapon caches along with solid walls that looked impenetrable.

"Did you see that, Heero? I think these guys just turned this playground into a battlefield!" Duo said excitingly.

"Don't think of this as a party. They obviously halted their fire for some reason…" Heero said and blinked, trying to scan the area of anything suspicious.

"Welp, now that they quit firing at us, we may as well get outta here now while they're not trying to kill us." Duo suggested. "I mean… We don't wanna cause any more trouble than we already have, right?"

"No, just stay."

"You're joking, right? How do you know they won't drop a nuke on us and wipe the floor with our about-to-be scrap Gundams?" Duo contended.

Heero questioned himself again. Should I really take orders from that voice? The girl whom contacted unnaturally seemed to be tainting his thoughts right now. Heero placed his palm on his forehead, swaying his head side to side. He felt confused, but he decided already to go along with Duo and just leave.

"Alright, we'll-"

"Holy hell, Heero! What's that thing!" Duo bellowed all of a sudden, pointing his beam scissors in one direction.

Heero looked that way, and noticed in the distance of the very edge of the city a tall figure. It appeared to be orange, rather skinny, and very flexible in comparison to the mobile suits they were piloting. It was on one knee, looking directly at them from behind a small structure. It was wielding a weapon of some sort – a rifle. Duo gripped the beam scissors with both of Deathscythe's hands, and stood his ground strongly.

"Whatever this thing ahead of us is, it definitely has a bone to pick with us." Duo rejoiced.

Heero shut his eyes and observed the adversary ahead of them. At that moment, his mind linked with the ZERO System within Wing Zero. He took a deeper observation of this robot. Heero suddenly discovered – a rising threat to them – the abilities of this unit. ZERO depicted images through his mind of this machine's vast capabilities. He noticed it run and jump at very high speeds, carry several armaments at hand, and – most devastating of all – destroying both their Gundams with its bear hands.

"Stay back, Duo. That thing up ahead of us is big. It outmatches both of us in size, and possibly combat. I'm warning you now, we should best flee right now!" Heero demanded.

"I think you get scared a bit too easily, Heero. We've faced plenty of bigger bad guys before. Nothing keeps the God of Death**[9]** down!" Duo smirked and said.

Duo lunged forward with the beam scissors held above the Gundam's head. He flew straight into the sky, eventually eclipsing the sun and clouding the city in brief darkness, and dove down towards the orange foe at great speeds. Duo smirked as he prepared to deliver a blow.

"Take…THIS!" Duo yelled at the top of his lungs as he threw the scythe down towards this orange machine.

Heero flew towards the action, and suddenly found the larger robot catching the beam scissors effortlessly. The orange mech continued by raising its hand, and immediately striking down at Deathscythe will little force. Duo collapsed onto the ground, disarmed.

"Hey Heero, you there! Looks like this thing packs a bigger punch than we thought! Mind giving me a hand…Here?" Duo shouted louder when the other machine had leaped off of the structure it was standing on and punched Duo's Gundam in the torso. Due to its size, it appeared that punch could tear apart the rest of the Gundam with only a few more identical blows.

Heero gazed a little terrified at the colossal machine that was bombarding Duo's Gundam right now. He decided then it was time to turn to even bigger weaponry to take this thing down, now. Stored behind Wing Zero, Heero drew its largest and most powerful armament: the Twin Buster Rifle. Separated into two different guns, he immediately merged them into the formation of a long beam cannon.

He pointed his weapon towards the giant machine. Heero suddenly felt a brief collapse in the air around him! He ignored it, blinked, and resumed taking aim at this foe ahead of him. The robot up ahead had Deathscythe held high above its head, but immediately flung Duo downwards into the hard concrete ground. _One shot would do it_, Heero thought.

_Do not shoot, Heero._

It was that same girl's voice again. Heero lost his grip of the cockpit controls. He felt as if he were floating in the depths of space. Who was this girl talking to him? He felt cold, very cold. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to shrug off this chills.

"HEERO? What in the name of all the good pacifists are you doing? Shoot this damn thing off of me already! AAH!" Duo shook violently within the cockpit as the tall robot delivered another blow on the helpless Deathscythe on the ground.

Heero shook his head vigorously. Without even looking, he slammed the triggers within the cockpit, firing a powerful blast of high output beam from the Twin Buster Rifle racing towards the monstrous foe. The orange robot turned towards the blast, only less than a kilometer away from its collision course. Seemingly without effort, the mech sidestepped, dodging the blast with ease and causing the beam to soar aimlessly into the horizon. Heero stared ahead of him in utter disbelief upon his failure to hit the robot ahead.

Immediately, the orange robot charged towards Heero. It leaped over the various structures and civilian buildings in its way, keeping its attention towards the Gundam. Heero took flight, and Wing Zero sprung upward several hundred meters within just a few seconds. He began to prepare another attempt to shoot this giant, merging the two halves of the rifle once more and aimed straight towards it. It was too fast, however. The orange mech was supposedly hopping from side to side, trying to avoid Heero's range.

_Do not shoot, Heero._

The soft voice of that girl rang through his head for a third time. This time, Heero shook his mind off of her more easily, but it was enough to distract him from the bigger threat to him right now. It wasn't long until it was nearly right below his Gundam. It leaned down, but then suddenly sprung straight upward, following closely in Wing Zero's path. Unable to fire at it from its position, Heero looked upward and rocketed straight towards the sky in attempt to escape its reach. There was a slight tremble in the cockpit, however. The orange mech had grabbed a hold of his legs. Heero felt the gravity pushing down on him mightily. The cockpit shook violently as the Gundam was on its way to crash into the ground. He couldn't tell what was going on outside and what exactly was the giant doing to him, but he grasped the seat of the cockpit. Heero took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to remain calm before colliding with the ground.

Then, he felt it. The cockpit shook more immensely than ever. Wing Zero was plummeted into the ground with a tremendous crash. Heero couldn't feel anything all of a sudden after that, and he fainted immediately.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, get up out of there! Place your hands where we can see them!<em>

What seemed only to be a half-hour of rest was probably only a minute, really. Another voice, a little deeper voice from a woman this time, could be heard through the cockpit of his Gundam. It was completely dark in this small space of the cockpit now. He assumed that there were people around him, judging by that echo from the woman he just heard. Heero decided not to attempt to reactivate Wing Zero, if that was the case. He could only picture Wing Zero's helpless position from the outside now.

Against his will, he opened up the cockpit door of his Gundam. He brushed off his shoulders a little bit of a few pains before laying his eyes upon the bright and sunny sky. It gleamed upon his face, but suddenly the light half vanished. Two figures were standing in between him and the bright light of the sun. He ignored them and went straight to climbing out of the cockpit. He was right. He now lay his eyes upon dozens of armed men - wearing identical beige clothing and a red bonnet on their head - each pointing their guns towards him.

"Hands up where we can see 'em!" The same woman's voice shouted through the thin air.

Heero stuck his hands up a little bit behind his head. He then turned towards the source of the voice. Heero then found a tall woman with dark, purple hair, holding a thin and slender figure, and wearing a black skirt and a tight red jacket. She appeared to be the boss of all of these men, so he did best not to hesitate to follow her orders. He remained perfectly calm, not showing a sign of fear or stress.

What caught Heero's attention most was the one standing next to her! Duo was standing there, handcuffed and looking down in a gloomy way. He was covered in a few injuries from head to toe, supposedly from the frequent tremor within his Gundam. He stepped out of his Gundam completely to get a closer look at Duo, whom was dwindling in his own misery.

One of the men behind him clasped his wrist. Heero tried to resist, but remembered that they were armed. He felt the clank of the metal handcuffs cling to both his wrists. The other soldier gripped his cuffs from behind, and forced him off of the mobile suit.

He slanted his head down, too, like Duo. The two boys were standing side by side now, moving forward with force from the guards behind them. Duo tilted his head towards Heero a little bit, not appearing to be too bitter at this time.

"Hey buddy. We made it out alright. Could've been worse, don't ya think?" Duo whispered optimistically.

"Can it, you." The woman scolded him. Duo pretended to ignore her and this time straightened his posture.

"Talk to me later, got it?" Duo murmured.

The boys both noticed a truck ahead of them with its back doors wide open. It was definitely a vehicle specifically for transferring criminals, and they were about to board it. The walk up there was oddly silent, however. Almost every person in this environment made no noise, not even the soldiers with their deadly weapons.

Heero was the first to be loaded onto this truck. He calmly walked up the ramp, without any thrust by the surrounding guards. Duo seemed more like a challenge to get inside. Duo resisted laying a single footstep on the ramp, but the guards had finally overpowered him and were able to thrust him inside. The woman followed, with her every footstep seemingly breaking the utter silence.

Heero took one more look outside, moving his eyes at his Gundam's direction. He just remembered that Zero had not told him anything**[10]** since the moment he arrived in this 'new' Earth. He noticed that the men were strapping cords to the Gundam, along with cranes rolling in to supposedly take away his mobile suit. He could only watch angrily as they were about to take it away. However, the door of the back of the truck slowly came to a complete shut, and the woman stared down at both of them sharply.

"Welcome to Tokyo-3, boys**[11].**" The woman declared.

* * *

><p>[1] Heero Yuy is the main protagonist of New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. He is classified by his cold-hearted and silent personality and his extraordinary human abilities. He pilots the Wing Gundam and later the Wing Gundam Zero (not an upgrade of Wing Gundam.) Heero, contrary to his demeanor, is actually a warm-hearted boy willing to end war at all costs.<p>

[2] Duo Maxwell is one of the five protagonists of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The laid back and fun-loving hero of the group. He pilots the Gundam Deathscythe, eventually upgraded into Deathscythe Hell, and appears to have a strong friendship with his own mobile suit, like most of the other Gundam pilots. He is often depicted to be carefree and optimistic, even in some of the most intense of situations.

[3] A Gundam is the symbolic machine of New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and the Gundam universe. It is defined as some of Earth's most powerful mobile suits, along with giant weapons of destruction. Throughout Gundam Wing, there are five (eventually six) Gundams piloted by five teenage boys.

[4] Wing Gundam Zero (XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero) (commonly referred to as "Wing Zero", or "Zero" by the characters) is the main mobile suit**[4a] ** used by Heero Yuy throughout Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Manufactured by Quatre Raberba Winner, it is considered the ancestor of the original five Gundams, arguably the most powerful Mobile Suit of the show, and the symbol of the entire anime. In Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, it is classified for its heavy firepower from its signature weapon, the Twin Buster Rifle, the ZERO System, and its magnificent wings of flight. (The design from Endless Waltz is the version of this Gundam present in this story.)

[4a] A mobile suit is a mecha from the popular anime franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam. From 1979 up until the present day, mobile suits have taken on various forms and evolutions. It is the term to describe the machines of war used throughout the Gundam multiverse.

[5] Gundam Deathscythe Hell (XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell) is the main mobile suit used by Duo Maxwell. Manufactured by the Gundam engineers (particularly Professor G) this mobile suit is the stealthy and cunning partner of Duo. The unit is classified by its signature weapon, the beam scissors, and its active cloak mechanism allowing it to move stealthily and unseen. (The design from Endless Waltz is the version of this Gundam present in this story.)

[6] Machine cannons are one of the armaments of Wing Gundam Zero. The Gundam holds a pair of 4-barrell gatling guns within the clavicle section of the mobile suit. This form of ranged weaponry is much weaker than its main weapon, the Twin Buster Rifle, but has proven to be rather useful throughout the series and can deal significant amounts of damage. They are much stronger than the typical vulcans**[6a]**.

[6a] Vulcan guns are a standard bullet weapon by most mobile suits throughout the Gundam multiverse. Usually mounted in the head or shoulders, they fire the most basic of ballistics in combat. They are perhaps one of the weakest armaments of typical mobile suits, but nevertheless are used by most Gundams, including Deathscythe Hell.

[7] Beam scissors (sometimes referred two as Beam Scythe) is the main armament of Gundam Deathscythe Hell. It takes the form of an enormous energy scythe-like weapon, stored in the backskirt of the Gundam, and is drawn to defeat waves of enemies at close-range. It should be noted that in the TV version of Deathscythe Hell, there are two energy blades emitted, while the Endless Waltz version of the unit features only one.

[8] A beam saber is a common weapon used by many mobile suits throughout the Gundam multiverse. It bears strong resemblance to the lightsabers of Star Wars. A large array of mobile suits, including Wing Gundam Zero, wield beam sabers for close-range combat.

[9] The 'God of Death' (the 'Shinigami' in the Japanese dub) is the common nickname that Duo Maxwell refers to himself as.

[10] As seen in many instances throughout New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, the ZERO System has provided its pilot, particularly Heero, of many possible outcomes of the future. It's main purpose is to provide combat data and possible outcomes for battle. While Heero is one of the very few who've mastered the system, the Gundam had provided its pilot with possible visions of his future, including paths to follow.

[11] Tokyo-3 is the city where the events of Neon Genesis Evangelion occur. The city, as a whole, serves as a gigantic fortress against a race known as the Angels. It lies right above NERV Headquarters which is roughly 1,000 meters below ground level. The reasoning behind Tokyo-3 holding the number '3' is due to the fact there were two cities of Tokyo lying in the same area before, both facing destruction which eventually led to the creation of Tokyo-3.


	2. Chapter 02

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Updated on 8/04/12. Edits will happen a lot...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 02<strong>

"Y'know, Heero. Who knew the cops here would be this _hot_." Duo whispered while leaning next to Heero's shoulder, jerking his head forward.

The lady who arrested them with long, bluish hair was sitting just in front of them. Half-asleep, she had her legs crossed and had her head leaning back. Heero had been staring at the wall next to her for a couple minutes already, while Duo clearly had his eyes glued onto her. Only these three occupied this tiny room of the inmate transfer vehicle, and not a sound arose since the boys' loading onto here.

"Say, Heero?" Duo's attention shifted to a lock on the door, "I could probably pull a hairpin out and-…" The woman suddenly awoke from her sleep and kicked him in the shin! Duo jumped, "Ow! What's the matter with you, lady?"

"That's Misato**[1]** to you! _Misato Katsuragi _is the name." The blue-haired lady snapped at them.

"Well, aren't you the bossy one, huh?" Duo flirted with a raised eyebrow.

"Hush your mouth, boy! Why can't you be more like your silent buddy over there?" Misato jerked her thumb towards Heero.

Duo glanced to his side, just finding his friend quietly staring into space. Although this room was only dim at its brightest, Duo could tell that his friend wasn't blinking, let alone moving at all. Eventually, Heero's eyes closed and he laid his head against the wall, just like Misato had been doing.

However, something else caught Duo's attention a moment later. The light of the room began to fluctuate from light and dark. He felt the entire room beginning to fall downward at a steady pace. Duo jumped in shock, and noticed the reason for this was coming from outside. He peered through the tiny peek hole of the upper half of the door. Examining through it closely, he noticed they were on an enormous escalator. The more devastating aspect of this humongous area of an escalator was what was going down it. A giant white wing-like object was in the way…Duo immediately concluded that it was Wing Zero. It was tied to various constraints attached onto many vehicles.

"Heero, check it out! They got our Gundams tied up and they're taking them down this huge escalator with us! We definitely gotta break outta here as soon as we…" Duo paused when another burst of pain hit on his right shin. He yelped, "Ow! What's your problem, lady?"

"Ahem. I'm sure you boys have learned not to blabber and whine out loud to a prison warden when you two are the inmates. If you wanted to talk about a plan of breaking out of your cell while _I am in here_, you smartasses better think twice before saying anything." Misato declared.

"I think you already have what you wanted – the two of us. You wouldn't arrest our innocent machines who only did our dirty work, would you?" Duo scoffed.

"They won't be so innocent until you answer a few questions during interrogation. While I'm in charge of you boys, don't count on being bailed out until the whole process is complete." Misato replied bitterly.

"So you must be the big boss of this entire army?" Duo mockingly questioned.

"You can say that."

"And that makes you a general…?" Duo grinned a little.

"Potentially."

"_Right_, so would a general as beautiful as you want to take two innocent guys _who didn't have damn clue what we were doing to begin with_!?" Duo yelled, leaving his sarcastic tone.

Misato kicked him in the shin again to shut him up, "Don't you know when to can it, loud mouth? What part of interrogation do you not understand? You can last being in jail for a day, but once we get answers will we decide your sentence. I'll tell you what, kid. Patience is acknowledged while you're under my command, so you'll be rewarded if you _keep your mouth shut_!" Misato mocked. Duo did not repeat another word, and simply turned his head the other direction.

It was only moments when suddenly the movement within the truck just stopped. Duo's eyes widened a bit. He looked and saw Heero with his head still down and his eyes sealed shut. The doors of the back of the truck suddenly swooshed open! There stood two armed men with tan-colored coats and wielding Steyr MPi 69 submachine guns**[2]**.

"Now move it, you two!" Misato stood up as she leaped off the truck first. She turned around and watched as the two guards took the boys by their handcuffs and loaded them off the truck.

As soon as they were all off, they began walking forward. Heero wasn't watching where he was going, and only let the guard clasping him to control his every movement. He slowly glimpsed over to his left side, noticing they were progressing through a long hallway with grayish blue walls. Duo was moaning in sheer boredom. Heero overheard him as he silently whispered to himself periodically: _Same old, same old. Get kidnapped and thrown in a cell. _He could tell by his friend's tone that he was more annoyed rather than frightened. The guard gripping Duo immediately gave him a shove trying to silence him. Duo grumbled to himself and continued moaning.

The boys found themselves walking along a huge window in this what seemed to be boundless hallway. Immediately, Duo glanced outside in awe! Heero shifted his attention to the outside, too. Both of their eyes widened upon looking at the magnificent view. There were several buildings lined up in the formation of a city, each one hanging from a large ceiling like stalactites. The sun somehow gleamed through this ceiling, shining its radiance upon the surface of this place. But even further downward on the ground there were trees, ever so green, and a crystal blue lake. Heero wondered:_How does a place like this exist deep underground_?

"Hey Heero, did you ever happen to notice that pyramid we saw while coming down here?" Duo suddenly asked.

"No." Heero couldn't recall. He hadn't seen a trace of what this place looked like until now. He looked back down as the guard continued to push him forward. Duo snickered a little bit as he looked over at Misato. She maintained her posture like a strict businesswoman, appearing as a boss to the both of them.

"So, Misato? You might not be the boss of this place, but since you're 'in charge of us' why don't you tell me and my buddy here something." Duo grinned in a witty fashion. He then noticed Misato stopping in the middle of the hall, then she raised her hand to halt the guards.

"What?" She said justly.

"You haven't told us yet where we are. It's got some sweet looks already by just looking around."

"You're directly under Tokyo-3. This is the GeoFront**[3]**, an enormous sphere of habitat lying under several layers of solid Earth. What you did to get down here is through a transportation from the surface to the bottom layers of the GeoFront. Six kilometers wide, one kilometer tall, and approximately fourteen kilometers in diameter. The 'pyramid' you're in happens to be NERV**[4]** Headquarters."

"NERV, huh? That's quite a cool name you came up with there. Care to explain that city that's hanging from the city?" Duo tried to hold in a laugh.

"That's the city you tried to destroy, wasn't it?"

Duo's suddenly looked very disgusted. "Destroy it? Now hold on a second, lady! For the last time, you totally got the wrong idea!"

"That's enough already!" Misato turned her back to the boys in anger as she signaled the guards to keep moving forward.

They finally came across a hallway where there was no sight of the phenomenal GeoFront they just saw. Only doors, sliding metallic ones, lined across this hallway, each attached to mechanical locks. Gently Misato pulled out a card, assumingly a keycard, from her shirt pocket, slid it across the lock, and the metal doors swung upon. Heero and Duo were both forced through the doors, and ahead they witnessed a line of three prison-like cells to their left. The guard gripping Duo went over to one of the cells, and unlocked it manually with a metallic key. Heero was immediately shoved into it first, then Duo was thrown in shortly after. Mildly angered, Duo gritted his teeth upon being thrown in.

"I think we'll cut you boys some slack. Hold your hands out quickly." Misato said as she beckoned the boys to hold their hands towards the cell bars.

"I'm not liking this..." Duo whispered.

Heero did so, but Duo grumbled as he followed. The guards then unlocked their handcuffs with small keys and swiped them from their wrists immediately. They made their way out of the sliding doors with Misato following.

"I'm tellin' ya! My buddy and here are innocent! If you'd give just a teeny tiny second to explain ourselves, you'll know that we both come in peace!" Duo roared at her.

"Then why don't you tell us where you got those two robots of yours? They definitely don't belong to us, and they were armed. Perhaps you were apart of the other gang of robots whom ambushed us the other day? Who knows, but we still have questions for you both to ask."

Heero glimpsed over at Misato. _Other gang of robots?_ He thought. There were other machines that came to this city preceding them?

Duo's facial expression changed once again to a more confused look, "Other gang of robots? Mind filling me and my pal here what you're talking about?"

"They were the same height and they appeared in the same fashion you both arrived. Did I mention the same height and looks? Yeah, I think it's pretty obvious."

"Pretty obvious? Height and looks? That's even less believable than just accusing us of simply coming here and sabotaging you. You gotta be outta your head, miss."

"You know, boys. You may just get out of this cell for good behavior. Every prison inmate should know that." Misato turned her back to them and walked out the closing sliding doors.

"But-!" He couldn't finish what he was going to say, because the doors had come to a complete shut and Misato was gone.

"What did they call it again, 'Tell it to the judge!'" Misato's echo rang through the sealed doors.

Duo stood behind these jail bars, staring awkwardly at the sliding doors. Heero did not speak a word, and simply sat at the corner of the cell. Neither of the boys made a sound, moved a limb, or even utter a whisper since the moment when that purple-haired mistress left that room.

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><p>It felt like hours already since they had been thrown in this dusky inmate cell. Duo laid on the rack, while Heero sat silently at the corner, staring at the floor. Heero easily assumed that Duo went from being angry to extremely bored.<p>

"I don't see how you could be so chill at a time like this..." Duo whispered to Heero.

"You know me enough. Ever think I'm trying to devise a plan to break us out of here?"

Duo jumped in excitement, "Well, are ya? Let's bust out of this hellhole! We'll just take our Gundams back, blow up this place, and-"

"You'd think it be that easy, hm? Even Zero and Deathscythe couldn't stand up to whatever that machine was that brought us down. And well, I'm not planning anything right now. I don't think there's an easy way out of this one."

"Well, you remember how you broke out of that medical facility by the Alliance?**[5]**"

"...With your help."

"Yeah, but do I look like I have any big guns and explosives on me?"

"You're more of an engineer than I am, Duo. Why not come up with some kind of key to unlock this place?"

Duo shook his head a little, "Well, pal. I wish you'd try a bit more." Duo looked enraged, then threw off his black cap onto the ground and pounded his fist against the wall heavily, "How the hell did we get into this kind of mess, anyway?"

He continued to rant out loud as he rushed from one end of the wall to the other. Heero looked over at Duo. He felt pity for him to rage over this, judging by how he acted in the past whenever he was captured during war. This was not war. These people under some organization called NERV had taken them prisoner for a reason neither of them had known. So at the same time, Heero felt sorry for him. He's never seen Duo this angry before, and wondered why he would act up like this. Duo slowly began to calm down after ten minutes of rage, and then took a seat back on the rack, exhausted.

"Just tell me then, Heero. How did we get here to begin with?"

"I-I... I'm not the one to ask." Heero shook his head and looked back down.

"If you say so, bro..." Duo laid back on the rack, too worn out from his anger to talk now.

Heero sighed softly to himself. He rolled up his jeans a little bit to scratch his ankle quickly, then laid back against the corner and tried to relax. It was perfectly silent in the room now...

_Heero, do not be afraid._

It was her voice. Again. It was that same soft and gentle voice which spoke to him from that last conflict with the large orange robot.

_You are not alone, Heero._

Heero shook his head violently and knocked on it against the palm of his head. He glanced around the room, looking for that girl supposedly talking to him. He placed his ear against the wall, but heard no sound from the neighboring cell.

_This is only a test of your patience. Then you will be free._

"Duo, did you hear that?" Heero said as he threw his head upward looking at him.

"Nope, what was it?" Duo yawned and mumbled.

"It was a voice. A girl's voice. The same girl who spoke to me when we battled that tall orange machine."

Duo flipped over onto his stomach, crossing his fingers and laying his head on them. "I didn't hear a thing, Heero."

"Hm."

"Well, does this chick sound like her by any chance?"

"No. She doesn't. She sounds so, so-..." Heero paused for a long minute.

"So... Sassy? Obnoxious?" Duo smirked.

"No, nothing like that. It's as if she's trying to tell me what to do. Like, advise me in some ways. It's beyond my belief."

"Ah, looks like you got yourself a celestial voice to guide you in your every move, Heero. I think you should ask her then how are we supposed to get ourselves out of this mess." Duo exclaimed and rolled over on his back.

Heero brought his hand to his face, shaking it slowly. "It's nothing like that at all."

"Right." Duo closed his eyes, trying to nap.

Heero shut his eyes, sighed softly to himself, and tilted his head downward.

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><p>[1] Misato Katsuragi is one of the main characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion. She is classified for her cheerful personality and charismatic leadership as both Captain and Major throughout the series. Misato takes command of NERV's Tactical Operations branch, and executes orders regarding the deployment of Evangelions in combat. She is also one of the notable survivors of the disastrous Second Impact, and this fact surrounds her character throughout the course of the series.<p>

[2] This is the standard weapon used by NERV guards as seen in certain instances of the show, and the movie, _The End of Evangelion_.

[3] The GeoFront is the massive subterranean cavity located deep within Tokyo-3. Two different GeoFronts exist in the universe of Neon Genesis Evangelion in Antarctica and Tokyo-3, respectively. The GeoFront originally was a sphere of dirt and debris in its origins, but eventually evolved into a civilization in its modern years. However, the signs of nature found within the GeoFront are all artificial, including its lakes, trees, and grass. NERV Headquarters is located slightly near the center of the GeoFront and along the edge of the central trench.

[4] NERV Headquarters (NERV HQ) is the primary base of operations. NERV HQ takes command of operations throughout the globe, as well as being the primary location of the Magi System. Taking a pyramid-like shape and structure, it is the most eye-catching feature of the GeoFront. It is located slightly near the center of the GeoFront and along the edge of the central trench.

[5] In Episode 3 of Gundam Wing, Heero and Duo manage to escape an Earthsphere Alliance Hospital.


	3. Chapter 03

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno<strong> 

**Chapter 03**

**Location: NERV Commander's Office**

"Describe to me again, Major. How can you define the attack from yesterday?" Commander Gendo Ikari**[1]** spoke with his fingers crossed in front of his face, his elbows on the desk, and staring with a stern expression.

"It couldn't have been an Angel, if that's what you were thinking." Misato**[2]** replied.

"And why not?"

"It just wasn't targeting Headquarters at all. It was just like a hit-and-run hence they didn't seem to want anything from us. They simply demolished as much of the city as they could for a few minutes then split.

"Hm. And you suspect these two young men you say for bearing strong resemblance to the assailant from yesterday?"

"Apparently. Those two robots they were just piloting bear a strong resemblance in size and shape from what we saw last night."

"Precisely, Major Katsuragi. The destruction took place very late at approximately 22:47 hours. Did you have a clear view of what they looked like?" Interrupted Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki**[3]**.

"Well, not exactly. Cameras throughout the city caught a decent sight of these machines."

Gendo nodded his head very slowly. "Now, Major. We mustn't jump into conclusions so suddenly. Did you put these boys in the Isolation Facility?"

"No, sir. I had them locked up."

"That's an even _more_ absurd decision to make, Katsuragi." Gendo replied in a more grim tone.

"Commander, why are you trusting these two boys, anyway? Tokyo-3 has already been badly damaged months ago, and last night all that work we put into it is gone."

"But how do you know it was those two boys is what I'm asking?"

Fuyutsuki turned towards Gendo and interrupted, "I need to report, Commander, that we managed to get a chip off one of the monsters from last night. NERV scientists are doing analysis on it as we speak."

"It's only a piece of metal. We won't get anything accomplished doing that."

"Oh, and sir..." Misato uttered.

"What is it, Major?" Gendo replied.

"I have to ask something important involving..." Misato tried to say it, but she hesitated and suddenly felt the great nervous tension before she could even say another word.

"Major, I'll have you report in precisely three hours. I want you to take Akagi**[4]** out of her temporary confinement. I will assign her to research on the incidents of what's been happening, lately. Now may I ask you to leave my presence and report back at approximately 0:00 hours?" Gendo abruptly interrupted.

"Yes, sir." Misato nodded, bowed, and made her way out of the Commander's Office. She hesitated before completely exiting the room - wondering if the two NERV Commanders were keeping something silent amongst themselves - but decided to go on and release Professor Akagi from the Confinement Facility.

Commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki remained silent as Misato proceeded out of the room. They turned to each other with Gendo looking stern and Kozo appearing confused. They looked back at Misato, finally with her presence completely gone from the room. Kozo looked down at Gendo, cleared his throat and began to talk slowly.

"Commander. I wanted to ask the same question for some time now. Why have you postponed the time for Third Impact? You've seemed to have put more time into rebuilding Tokyo-3 these past two months. Have you conducted with the Committee**[5]**, SEELE**[6]**, or anyone in NERV knowledgeable about this delay?"

"No, and I shall do so immediately. Apparently I've discovered I'm not in perfect relations with SEELE at all at this time. You've heard them suggest to us we do not use an Angel**[7]** for the basis for Third Impact**[8]**, but rather than Eva Unit 01**[9]**, instead?" Gendo shut his eyes and said in a bitter manner.

"Why, yes Commander. But how... How did you guess all of this? You seem to assume that SEELE is against you, now. That's simply beyond my imagination that you'd assume correctly." Kozo replied with more expression of shock on his face.

"It's the damn Eva series**[10]** they've created. I know that whatever I plan on now, I'm going to have to be more cautious in what decision I make next."

"But sir. You haven't answered my question yet. How do you seem to know all of this?"

Gendo's glasses glared through the minor light in the room. He took them off, placed them on his desk, and laid back on his chair. With a deep sigh, "This was all from a dream I had, as if an angel came to warn me of an end to all hope."

**Location: Ritsuko Akagi's[11] Confinement.**

Misato journeyed through the many halls of NERV Headquarters. As she got closer to the cell of one of her closest friends, she let it build on her. The guilt, the memories, the regret was burdening onto her as she tries to remember the faults her friend committed not long ago. She couldn't bear watch where she was going, because she only wanted to know how it felt to be locked in that dark room for a short while. There was something, Misato felt, that her friend was going through that even she couldn't empathize with.

As she finally came upon the room - after paying no attention to where she was walking - she simply took her NERV keycard, feeling like several tons, and slid it across the lock. She opened the door gradually, then peeked into the darkness of what she knew to be Professor Akagi's short but dreadful prison.

"Are you in here, Ritsuko?" Misato said as she walked in slowly as the strong glare of light shined upon another woman in the room.

This had been the first time for almost two months had she been able to speak with a close friend. Misato felt dreadful by visiting her like this, however. She realized now how long she had been in this horrible prison of a room as a punishment by none other than Commander Ikari. All because she had destroyed a vital piece of work by the Commander**[12]**, she had been locked in this darkness since then.

"Oh, look who's here. You're here to summon me by order of the Commander, right Misato?" Ritsuko replied sarcastically.

"No, no... It's nothing like that. It's for something different, I promise." Misato said as she tried to break a smile.

She tried to take a closer look at her friend. Ritsuko's hair had been messed up and her clothing was crumpled. When she attempted to take a glimpse of her face, she could already assume how rough her once fair skin would have right now. _Two months_, she thought, was all it probably needed to create hell for her.

"_Right_." Ritsuko replied as she brought her knees to her head, and wrapped her arms around them.

"Look, I'm sure you've heard the news of what's been going on. You've felt the tremors from last night, right? Well, we have to-"

"I don't care what happens to the world anymore, alright!" Ritsuko snapped, "It's enough that that cruel bastard constrains me to this place. I'd much rather be in a normal prison over this hellhole called NERV." She burst into anger, and that anger turned into tears.

Misato stared at her friend as she cried. She could feel in her heart that Ritsuko's hatred for the Commander has accumulated for weeks. Misato tried to move close to her, and through every step she just seemed to feel more sorry for her friend.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuko..." Misato whispered to her, "Trust me, I wouldn't have kept you in this room for so long if I had the choice."

Ritsuko wiped away a few of her tears and calmed down. She sighed deeply, rested her feet on the floor and raised her head a bit.

"T-tell me something, Misato."

"Ask ahead."

"How are the Eva pilots? How is Asuka**[13]**?" Ritsuko shut her eyes and took another deep breath.

"Just after the very last angel was killed, she was in a coma for about four weeks. We found her in a bathtub from the ruined city just a couple months ago. It turns out she was attempting suicide, or at least that's what most of us assume. Luckily she somehow managed to wake up. It was truly a miracle, really. Though I can't say she's been the same, well, for a while. She's been more, well...reserved, which is so unlike her."

"What about Rei**[14]**?"

"I can't say I know too much about her. While I know that she's living her own life just fine right now, something's totally different about her now. I've noticed she's been communicating even less with others, and... I can't really explain."

"And Shinji**[15]**?"

"Shinji..." Misato paused. "Shinji... He's probably the hardest one to even interpret right now. I've been doing all I can to help the poor guy out, but I'm just too busy these days to even give time to him. The Commander's been assigning me more time on projects to rebuild Tokyo-3 over anything. Shinji, he's been going to school and his grades have been fine. He just doesn't... He doesn't...want to be near anybody anymore."

Ritsuko stood up slowly and took one last deep breath. Slowly, she turned over to Misato, making eye contact with her for the first time in what felt like years. They both paused while staring at one another for almost a minute. Until Ritsuko finally spoke:

"One more question. Why hasn't the Commander done it, yet? Why hasn't Third Impact occurred?"

"That's a question I don't have the answer for..." Misato remarked as she brought her hand to her forehead.

"So, I'll finally be returning to my work today. It's what my mother**[16]** would want me to do, anyway." Ritsuko said as she dozed off with her hands in her pockets. Misato became mildly furious upon seeing her attitude this way.

"Can you get a hold of yourself for once, Ritsuko? I have all the time in the world to explain to you this new threat, but you can't go back to work with that kind of an attitude!" Misato declared, "If you just put aside your anger towards the Commander for now, you'll be happy when you resume work. So stop putting yourself down! What you're doing is for the world, not for him..."

They both paused in silence for another minute.

"Promise me then, Misato, that you will ensure the safety of the Eva pilots." Ritsuko stated as she began walking forward.

"That I can promise you, friend." Misato conceded as she led her out of the dark room.

**Location: NERV Headquarters Confinement**

Duo yawned loudly. He had been lying on that rack with rock-hard mattresses for quite a while, now. For the past couple days, he had been trying to scratch some doodles on the wall, but they were just too solid for his fingernails to scrape the surface. He also tried thinking of food, and would imagine some steak or pizza raining from the ceiling. The food the boys have been receiving their entire time had been a small supplement: some rice, seaweed, and a little bit of fish. Nevertheless, no excitement flowed through this empty room.

"Hey Heero, what time is it?" Duo asked.

"If I'd been keeping with the time since we got forced out of the Gundams, it should be about seven AM on the third day here..." Heero responded then completely went into silence.

For almost three days, Heero had been sitting in that corner with his head down. For three days, listening to Duo moan and complain. For three days, watching him do his daily workout routine. For three days, thinking about the what he presumed to be an incident back home.

"Three days, eh? Felt longer than that. Seven AM? Welp, time to start my daily jail routine. Maybe that good-looking warden of ours will pay us a visit sometime today." Duo smirked as he got onto his feet and stretched out. He sprung onto the ground and spread his hands shoulder-width apart about the floor. He straightened his legs and began doing push-ups, counting out loud. "Say, Heero. The only time you've been saying anything was to tell me the time. Everything alright, buddy?" _Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two._

"I'm fine." Heero murmured.

"You sure don't sound fine when that's the only thing you've said to me aside from telling the time." _Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five._

"I've been thinking, is all."

"You've been thinking about what, pal?" _Forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight._

Heero didn't respond this time. Duo shook his head at him as he stood up. He began stretching his entire body in workout.

"Well, you could at least get up and wiggle off that stress you've been going through." Duo grinned a bit at him.

"It's not like that."

"I can't help you, pal, if you don't try to get a bit off his shoulders." Duo replied with sympathy in his voice. He stopped his stretching and sat back on his bunk. "You've been driving me nuts lately, Heero. What are you thinking about?" Duo said. Heero finally began to raise his head and look straight at him.

"Duo...have you felt like you've been spoken to by something? Something mysterious. Something divine. Something beyond our own human minds? Whatever it is, there's apart of me beginning to crumble and fade away as time goes by. It feels like a curse." Heero implied. Duo paused, and slowly began to look annoyed and confused at the same time.

"You're thinking about her again, huh? That same exact voice of the girl you heard nights ago? I'm sure you could've talked to me about it more rather than just sitting a sad sack over there." Duo said in mild embarrassment.

"I need to know. She was the one telling me not to shoot at that tall robot attacking you. I held back for some reason."

"Well, that's why you could've just _ignored_ her. You're probably just having one of the weirdest delusions I've ever heard of, Heero. What I would do is-" Duo was interrupted when suddenly he heard a beep from the outside of the room.

The sliding doors suddenly flew open! Heero and Duo turned their attention to it, and saw two women coming through, one of them Misato and the other a blonde lady. This other lady appeared to have that "woman-in-charge" posture. However, she looked a little older, had rougher hair, and had a small mole under her left eye which strongly differentiated her from Misato. She wore a typical doctor's coat, probably indicating she was a researcher of some sort, along with a blue sleeveless shirt inside and long black leggings. Misato was dressed as her usual: black garments under a red jacket. Heero could remember Duo just whispering how "hot" she was starting the day after they were thrown into this cell.

"Boys, I'd like you to meet my friend, Ritsuko Akagi. She is NERV's chief scientist as well as commander of the Technical branch." Misato declared, looking directly at Heero. Duo waved a little bit, supposedly just to be nice.

"Pleased to meet you both. I'd like to let you know that our scientists have some direct footage from the incidents of three nights ago. I would assume that one of you boys would know more about these suspects, so will one of you like to answer a few questions?" Ritsuko asked politely but with a firm tone of voice. Duo jumped immediately out of the bunk.

"Me! I'd like to-!" Duo said with enthusiasm but suddenly relaxed, "Wait, I hope you mean you'll be asking us in a separate room, I hope?"

"Ever heard of what interrogation is?" Misato asked.

"Yeah."

"Of course we'll be bringing on of you to a separate room. This is vital business we're talking about here."

"In that case, let me be the one to answer your questions! Just unlock the cage and we'll..." Duo paused when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Actually, I think we'll take your quiet friend sitting over there on the corner. He seems to be more patient." Ritsuko looked straight towards Heero, whom was returning somewhat of a glare back at her.

"Wait, wha-?" Duo's enthusiasm was completely gone now, and he glanced back on his friend. He found Heero simply staring at both the women in the room. His facial expression seemed to be perpetual throughout this entire length of time in this dark room. Slowly, Heero brushed off the dust from his jeans and rose to his feet. Silently and calmly, he made his way towards the jail bars of the cell.

"I'll answer whatever question you have. However, next time you let me out, you take both me and my friend." Heero said in his mildly deep and monotone voice. He didn't exactly feel the need to push them to let Duo out, too, but he hoped to intimidate them somewhat.

"Some attitude you have there, boy? Can we please know your name?" Ritsuko asked while looking at him with some amusement.

Heero paused, then blinked. "Heero. Heero Yuy."

"And they call me Duo Maxwell. You can call me Duo, a k a, the God of Death!" Duo said with a smile.

"Yeah, cool." Misato abruptly said before turning to Heero. "Heero, we'll borrow you for a couple of moments. We'd like your own analysis on some evidence we've traced linking to your robots."

"Sure thing." Heero said but then added, "I'd prefer if you call the robots you've confiscated from us, '_Gundams_.'" Heero declared sternly.

"Alright. You've helped us with one thing already. Now please come with us." Ritsuko said as she led the way out of the room.

Misato followed shortly after, with Heero slowly trailing her.

"Hey, Heero!" Duo blabbered, causing Heero to pause in the middle of the doorway. Duo leaned closer to whisper. "Don't try to reveal anything too deep or secret, alright? They may or may not know we're not from here, so just tell them anything that won't get our heads chopped off. Got it?" He straightened himself and lay back on the bunk. "Well, good luck buddy."

"Roger that." Heero said without looking at him as he proceeded out of the confinement.

He followed the two women through the hallways now. Heero felt more attached with his surroundings this time, and tried to look around for a better view of this place called NERV Headquarters. The walls were a shade of grayish green, with a large orange line flowing throughout the surfaces. This pathway felt unusual for some reason with all of the twists and turns. However, they happened to walk pass a large map attached to the wall of some sort after a few minutes of walking.

Heero decided to pause for a few moments to observe this draft. He had noticed the unusual hexagonal shape of the headquarters, contrary to the pyramidal outlook according to Duo. The layout of NERV Headquarters appeared to be divided into shafts**[17]** and levels. He already had an idea that this base was composed of several different levels, and the shaft they were in probably pinpointed the exact location of this place. According to upper right corner of this map, it stated "B-20", and immediately he assumed this was the level they were on. But then in larger characters just below it read "Central Dogma."

"Heero? We don't have all day. It's either you follow us or go straight back into the confinement!" Ritsuko shouted from across the hallway. Heero shook his head and wholly took his attention off the map. He dashed over to Misato and Ritsuko and continued following them.

What seemed to feel like a really long walk, Heero only felt it was him. He suddenly found a clock fixed to the wall, reading 7:12 A.M. A huge anticipation struck Heero now, _he was correct on what time it was_. His train of thought shifted once more, when several persons dressed in brown jackets and pants walked passed him. Every one of them stared at him, some pausing in the middle of the hall just to glimpse at him. At that moment, Heero only thought of these people as unwelcoming. He could tell by the looks on their eyes, they knew that he was the main blame for the incidents last night.

"Alright. We're here. Please come inside, Heero." Ritsuko said calmly as she beckoned him to come inside another dark area. He went in first, with Misato and Ritsuko trailing him.

**Location: NERV Interrogation Room(?)**

This room was dark, even darker than the confinement. The only source of light as it seemed was the enormous red symbol reading "NERV" on to his left side of the room. It read the letters NERV in huge font and appeared to be partially covered by a fig leaf. Under it read "God's In His Heaven. All's Right With The World." Heero immediately assumed these people were closely associated with some kind of religious act. He tried to remain profane, however, as he did not believe in God, himself.

Heero saw right in front of him a man, wearing a dark brown uniform of some sort. This man looked close to elderly, he thought. However, the whole atmosphere of the room was very murky, Heero couldn't even get a sight of his face. The only other things he noticed were the two guards standing behind him at opposite corners of the room. There was also a large and dusky window in between him and Misato and Ritsuko.

"Hello, Heero. I don't believe your name is found anywhere in NERV Archives as a resident of Tokyo-3, so I'd to introduce as Kozo Fuyutsuki, Vice Commander of NERV." The man sitting in front of Heero said.

"Right." Heero said without seeming to consider his words.

"You should probably know right now that we've rarely used this room. Because NERV doesn't necessarily deal with crime done by humanity, you are the first one in here after a long while. Not implying you've done any wrongdoing, however. I wouldn't even call this interrogation, but instead a little interview of what you may think."

"Right. But now that you and everyone in your staff had mentioned it, care to give me a brief rundown of what exactly 'NERV' is?"

"While I don't have so much time to explain, NERV is essentially an agency funded and supervised by the United Nations. Our main purpose is to prevent a monstrous race known as the Angels from initiating a disaster known as Third Impact. We've been greatly succeeding in our purpose as of lately, though the road to this success wasn't easy at all. So I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, hm?"

"No. Not a clue." Heero very briefly replied.

"Then I guess we can assume you're not from around here." Kozo paused to think for a moment. "Before we go out of context, lets show you a little bit of what we have that you may happen to know." Kozo stated and snapped his fingers.

One of the guards standing behind Heero held an envelope in his hands. He went before Heero, unsealing the package, dumped several pieces of paper onto the table, and returned to his place in the back of the room. Heero immediately began observing these photos.

"We assume you're familiar with some of these images, are you?" Kozo asked.

Heero found himself gazing upon several images of shadowy figures amongst this city of Tokyo-3. He scanned every one of the photos carefully, but found only the same monotonous figure. The images before him were all very blurred and distorted, making it even harder for him to examine this. He then tried then looking at the surroundings - as looking at the shaded figure didn't help him - hoping it will give him a broader idea of what he was looking at.

This assailant was seen from different angles in various parts of Tokyo-3, as it looked. In one picture, it had crashed a hole at the base of one building. In another, a vehicle is flipped over where the monster is seen behind it. The image lying in the very back of the stack, however, shows the aftermath of the catastrophe, showing minor yet devastating damages to the city.

_But wait_, Heero thought. He reviewed every one of the photos a second time, paying more attention to the figure's comparison to the environment. The conclusion finally struck him when he realized each of the photos contained the figure at the same height. Each of them stood to be about six stories high. He knew now why NERV would put the accusation on he and Duo. Heero immediately thought to himself: "Mobile suits in this world? Could it be?"

"You seem to be in deep thought there, son. Do you have an idea of what you've just viewed, now?" Kozo interrupted and caused Heero to lose his train of thought.

Heero stood up firmly, cleared his throat a little bit, and said: "I have an idea of what these monsters could be. Yes, they do bear strong resemblance to the Gundams you just confiscated, but if you let me and my partner go free, only will we help you find and stop this threat."

"That's a negative, son. I'm afraid you're friend will be staying with us." Kozo said as he crossed his fingers with his elbows on the table. The lower half of Kozo's head could now be seen.

Infuriated, Heero turned to Kozo. "This is preposterous. If you don't allow the two of us to pursue this threat, our chances of finding the answer will be even more slim than it already is."

"You know a lot, Heero. We could probably use you in the future judging by how well you analyzed this evidence."

Angered, Heero struck his fist onto the table. He could hear the guards behind him holding their guns up, preparing to shoot if he ever made a false move.

"I _refuse _to work alongside a group like yourselves. I didn't come here to meddle with any of your Angel business." Heero furiously said.

"Well, I'm not calling these shots. Being only the Vice Commander of NERV, I can only act as the voice for the Commander, himself." Kozo replied with tranquility.

"Take me to your Commander, then. I want a word with him."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm under a strict privacy conduct for those who wish to consult with him."

"Then what does he, or _you_, want me to do?" Heero sat back down.

"You know a lot more than everyone in NERV does by now. Why don't you investigate?"

"Will you hand me back my mobile suit, then?"

"That's also a negative." Kozo replied, infuriating Heero even more.

He stared towards the ground, closed his eyes briefly to calm the animosity building up in him. He opened his eyes and looked back at Kozo, saying: "Why are you asking me this favor when you can't even provide me with the tools to complete this task? Also. that orange machine you have, why don't you put that against it?"

"It's simple. We don't want you escaping with that robot, or 'mobile suit', of yours. Nor do we want you fleeing this city with your friend. As for the Evangelion, the mecha you just mentioned, is currently un-operational at this time and the reason is classified."

"But it wasn't even us who raided your city..." Heero said, clenching his fist. He tried to show no signs of anger with his face. "

"I'm sorry, Heero. I'm not the one deciding you should just go out and do this. This has been a decision made by the NERV Staff and approved by the Commander, himself. We will let you and your friend go free after this terror is over, and we can promise you that."

Heero stood up once more, unclenching his fist. He stared at Kozo for a few moments, not blinking once. _I need to meet this Commander_, he kept thinking to himself. Why would he try and deprive him of every possibility for this mission to succeed?

"Our Commander only cares for this city, Heero. He spent several weeks trying to restore the life of this city like no other man would." Kozo stood up, his entire upper half of the body shrouded in the darkness. "Now, under direct orders, I am assigning you a task without direct supervision of NERV. You are to go under investigation, and possibly to prevent, whatever this sudden event on Tokyo-3 is. You'll be allowed to do what you wish after this operation, but as of now you're under an official injunction by NERV. Any false action you take will be taken against the United Nations, resulting in consequence of you and your friend. Is this understood?" Kozo said as he placed his hands behind him.

"Understood, Fuyutsuki." Heero turned around and noticed a light. The guards were ready to escort him out of this very dark room. He turned back to Kozo once more, "Mission accepted."

"I must say, Heero. I'm very impressed with that attitude you have there. I really think you have some potential to become a hero.

"Sure." Heero stated as he nonchalantly exited the facility.

**[1]** Gendo Ikari is the Commander of NERV and the father of main protagonist, Shinji Ikari. He is classified by his cold-hearted personality and rather cruel intentions.

**[2]** Misato Katsuragi is a Major at NERV and head of the Tactical Operations (taking Evangelions into combat and operations.) She's classified as a woman wearing skimpy clothing, but when it comes to fighting the Angels, she is tough as nails.

**[3]** Kozo Fuyutsuki is the Vice Commander of NERV. He primarily takes charge during operations in the NERV Command Center, but is only second-in-command and therefore doesn't take full control.

**[4]** Ritsuko Akagi is the chief scientist of NERV and head of the Technical branch of NERV (research and development.) Succeeding her mother, Naoko Akagi, she takes the role as the main brains behind all the technology.

**[5]** The Human Instrumentality Committee is the body of UN members responsible for overseeing the actions of NERV and the initiation of the Human Instrumentality Project.

**[6]** SEELE is a mysterious organization responsible for Second Impact and determined to initiate Third Impact. Not very much is known about this organization, although they are frequently seen conducting with Commander Gendo Ikari.

**[7]** An Angel is a monstrous race in the universe of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although classified in many different ways, they are generally characterized as "Adam's Children" hence their purpose is to carry out the will of Adam and initiate Third Impact.

**[8]** Third Impact is classified as the event beginning a new stage in human evolution and existence. This is the ultimate goal to accomplish by SEELE, but Gendo Ikari has his own intentions for such a plan. One may consider this event as the end of the world, but the result through decision determines the fate and existence of all humanity.

**[9]** Evangelion Unit 01 is the Eva unit piloted by main protagonist, Shinji Ikari. Very much like Unit 02, this Unit is painted purple, instead. It should also be noted that this unit contains offspring from Adam and Lilith, unlike the other Evangelion units.

**[10]** The Eva series is a mysterious project under SEELE to mass-produce Eva units. There are a total of nine Mass Production Evangelions, but their only function is to carry out SEELE's Third Impact.

**[11]** In episodes 24-End of Evangelion (EoE), Ritsuko Akagi is placed into a special confinement due to her actions: eliminating the several clones of Rei Ayanami, destroying the Dummy System, and also for her mental instability.

**[12]** Ritsuko had killed every last clone of Rei Ayanami and destroyed the Dummy System in episode 23 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

**[13]** Asuka Langley Soryu is one of the three protagonists of Neon Genesis Evangelion. She is red-haired and of German and Japanese descent, let alone the pilot of Eva Unit 02. In episodes 23-End of Evangelion, she enters an intense stage of mental instability, and eventually enters a coma in EoE.

**[14]** Rei Ayanami is one of the three protagonists of Neon Genesis Evangelion. She is light-blue haired and is the very reserved pilot of the three. Beginning with Episode 24 of the anime, the third incarnation/clone of Rei (Rei III) remains to be the Rei for the remainder of the series. She is classified for her mysteriousness and morality. However, she is also the basis for Gendo Ikari's version of Third Impact, and serves as a vessel for Lilith.

**[15]** Shinji Ikari is the main protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is only a fourteen-year old child, but is destined to become an Eva pilot. Throughout the series he is forced under several struggles, both physical and mental. His conflict with his father is perhaps the most bitter, as this relationship is essentially the root for many of his problems along with the entire series' plot.

**[16]** Naoko Akagi is the mother of Ritsuko. She is the creator of the Magi System and most of NERV's vast technology. She is classified as a woman, a mother, and a scientist. Naoko as a woman, however, she holds great mental instability, ultimately resulting in the decision leading to her death.

**[17]** The layout of NERV Headquarters is very complicated to explain. However, the layout as a whole can be described through shafts and levels, hence a shaft of a different level will indicate how deep and what area of the Headquarters they are in.


	4. Chapter 04

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno, Gainax<strong>

**Major updates on the first two chapters will be made very soon. Sorry if I happen to flood anybody's e-mails while doing this.**

**Chapter 04**

**Location: Escort out of NERV HQ**

"Hey Heero! I can give you a ride around town if you need a little help on this task. I mean, I'm also in charge of tracking down the same guys you are. We might as well help each other out, whad'ya say?" Misato exclaimed while sticking her head out of a car window. She seemed to sound more vivacious in her tone of voice, now, unlike her rather bossy attitude Heero had witnessed from earlier.

"I'll do better on foot, thank you." Heero replied disdainfully without turning his head to her or moving a limb. Misato seemed a little disgusted by the way he answered her, and instantly stuck her tongue at him before moving back into the car.

They were on that same escalator again, only going upward. In a state of dismay, Heero kept silent on the way back up to the surface. Misato followed him, only she was in a car - looking rather old and beat-up - rather than standing. He kept thinking about Duo, the Gundams, and even his own obligation to this duty he didn't necessarily agree to, but was rather forced upon. The only hint of his awareness of the world was when he looked back at the Geofront. The buildings no longer hung from the ceiling of this massive sphere, and immediately guessed they had already arisen above the ground level.

The escalator then came to a complete stop. Where Heero found the two of them in looked like an enormous garage, assumingly for the transport of vehicles from the upper world down to the trench. Ahead of them, they could now see the fresh radiance of the sunlight, with no massive layers of soil or metal lying in between. Misato stuck her head out of the car window once again.

"It sure is a bright morning, isn't it Heero?" Misato remarked happily, trying to give Heero a smile. "Nothing sure beats a high of seventy-nine and blue skies, huh?"

Heero didn't answer and only stared straight forward at the city. He slanted his eyes in her direction and found her looking very irritated. He then noticed her sigh heavily in disgust, and she sunk right back into the driver's seat of the car.

"Right." Heero murmured and looked back straight in front of him.

"So what exactly did the Commander assign you to do, anyway?" Misato asked hastily while looking opposite of Heero.

"I was dispatched by another member of your staff, actually. I was only told to search the city in case I find any other traces of the attackers."

"Sounds like a pretty easy job, don't ya think? You get to tour the all-new city while you're undercover!" Misato remarked enthusiastically. She grinned over at Heero at one more attempt to get a cheerful reaction from him.

"No. Nothing will distract me from this...mission." Heero hesitated to even call this a mission. _What the hell will I accomplish by just investigating the city?_ He thought.

Misato shook her head in mild animosity, and slowly closed her car window. "You'll see me around, okay? Don't get yourself in too much trouble and let me know of anything you might find interesting. For now, you can call this a patrol mission." Misato asserted, completely departing from her more cheerful tone she had just a minute ago.

Misato drove out of this garage-like area and began heading towards the city. Heero then began to walk forward, slowly into the sunlight. He gazed upward, noticing the astounding skyline of New Tokyo-3. The view was almost as fantastic as it was back down in the Geofront, but it wasn't the beauty of the sight that amazed him. Heero felt this had been the first time he hadn't seen a civilization like this in ruins. The brief images of the war back in After Colony 196**[1]** seemed to only had happened yesterday.

The thought of AC 196 struck Heero once again! He felt a sudden burst in agony to his head, trembling in his thoughts of the events. _There's just something about that I keep forgetting. What the hell could that be? _Heero found himself with his palms attached to his head. He took a mild breath, and shook his head a little, "I can't think about that right now... Gotta stay on task..." Heero began walking forward once more, eventually out of the NERV territory and onto the grounds of Tokyo-3.

He immediately began scanning every trace of the city around him. There was a clock, reading 8:08. The day was going by slowly, he felt. To his left, there was what seemed to be a park, where some elderly people were walking their pets. Ahead of him was a bus stop with what looked to be school students waiting for the bus. A bell suddenly chimed nearby him, and he turned towards the sound. Heero spotted a mini-bookstore hence the keeper was adding several new newspapers into a rack reading "This Just In!" Dozens of people, even some of the students, flooded over the rack and immediately began reading it. Out of curiosity, Heero picked up one for his own and began reading it.

The headline read in big bold characters, _**"Four Days Since Disaster Leaves Behind Only Optimism!"**_**[2]** Heero was confused upon reading this. Normally, he thought, it would take days for a city like this to recover from an attack. He went on and began reading the front-page article of the paper:

_**W**hat spectators thought to be a catastrophe turned out be a child's bruise after a soccer practice. After the unknown ambush took place three nights ago, NERV and the rest of Tokyo-3's residents have been nothing but accepting of this incident. Casualty count was rather low, which is possibly a factor to our carefree reaction. While the most of NERV seem to be gravely concerned for the events occurring days ago, the citizens responded to the attack with a simple brush off the shoulder._

"_It's not much of a big deal at all. The angels did way worse things to us. Nature only threw a hand grenade at us while the angels were like those giant N2 mines." Kensuke Aida_**[3]**_, a student and once a victim of an angel comments. This is precisely the answer to why much of Tokyo-3 does not display an overwhelming reaction to such events._

_Even NERV has shown great displays of optimism, as well. Contrary to the controversy arousing around Gendo Ikari, NERV has been sponsoring a great deal of support programs for Tokyo-3. Ever since the destruction months ago from an angel attack, Tokyo-3 has nearly fully recovered from the disaster. As NERV finds solutions to all of the threats instigating the world, a normal lifestyle is now possible for every person. Harmony can now return to…_

Heero felt a rush of rage rolling down his veins. He stopped reading the paper and crushed it in his hand.

"This is an atrocity..." Heero whispered to himself as he crumpled the paper in sheer anger and threw it towards the road. "How can these people act so ecstatic in a time like this?" He clenched his fist a bit and stared towards the ground. Sure, he thought, the worst may have long past but what they don't know is that there may be, just may be, have something far worst dawning over them.

AC 196. Heero's mind clashed with the thought once more! That image - a very familiar image - of a house, a forest, and a mountain burning to the whole ground! It flashed at him in an instant, and slowly his head began crumbling apart. At any moment, he could give up on his legs and collapse. He couldn't help himself anymore. He had to think. He had to _remember_. _What was it I forgot? How did-? _He dropped his train of thought as Heero was suddenly bumped into from behind him!

"Oh! I'm, uh... Sorry." A boy from behind him said in a naive tone.

The boy leaned down to pick up the books he just dropped upon accidentally bumping into Heero. Meanwhile, Heero observed this kid for a moment. This boy was about an inch shorter than he, and wore a white dress shirt and black trousers - just like all of the other male students waiting at the bus stop. The boy had chestnut brown hair and looked rather skinny, too. He also had headphones on and was holding a cassette player in his left hand.

Heero spotted a book lying on the ground. He leaned down to give it to the boy, but then noticed something odd above the bar code, reading "Property of NERV." Before he could reach to give it to him, the boy swiped it off of the ground and held it nearby his waist.

"Sorry about that. I-I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The boy said timidly, fidgeting a little.

"Take it easy." Heero demanded in an assertive voice, but then asked, "You work for NERV?" He jerked his head towards the book he was holding.

"No, what are you talking about?" The boy humbly whispered. Heero noticed a sweat rolling down the boy's cheek.

"That book you're holding right now." Heero murmured.

The boy sighed silently to himself. They both noticed that the bus had begun to pull in at the bus stop, and the students began to load on. He slowly started for the bus with some money in his hand, but promptly turned to Heero before entering.

"Just about everyone in this city works for NERV, in case you haven't noticed. They're all stupid, all the same..." The boy mumbled silently before stepping into the transportation. Heero stood in front of the news stand, watching as the bus moved slowly away from the stop, towards the next block, and until it was no longer within his sight.

There was more to see, Heero remembered. He started around the crowded blocks of the city. Traffic lay at every corner this morning. Workers and businessmen were walking in and out of their buildings, and students were flooding the streets and boarding buses to get to school. They were definitely right in that headliner when they said that these people were ready to adopt a normal lifestyle again.

He spent more time searching, then found himself at a four-way intersection surrounded by buildings holding billboards and electronic advertisements. Heero witnessed the same usual thing wherever he looked. A digital clock hanging on one of the buildings – stationed next to several televised advertisements – read 9:02. He had spent almost an hour searching and only found the typical. He looked down and walked across the street in silence, while everyone else around him was talking and chattering. From then on, he kept his head down, feeling like he's just wondering aimlessly though a thick forest.

Suddenly, he heard some chanting by several people ahead of him. _Is that where they attacked? It's the exact site on the paper from a couple of days ago. Wow, this is a huge mess._ Heero slanted his head upward and found a small group of people staring straight at one direction. He immediately looked in their direction, and found a medium-sized building lying a block away…with something that finally caught Heero's full attention! The building had a wide fracture on the side, indicating some form of destruction took place there. On the ground, there lay a huge pile of debris, with several investigators and even NERV staff examining it. Heero dashed across the street – pushing through and avoiding all the cars along the way – to get to this scene. Upon arriving, he heard someone call out to him demandingly. He was suddenly halted by a woman with short black hair and wearing a beige uniform, assumingly another NERV staff member.

"Hey, kid! Sorry but I can't allow you to go any further than here. We're cleaning up this place and we need all civilians to keep their distance for now. Okay?" The woman said kindly.

"Cleaning up? Not investigating?" Heero asked.

"Nope. We were ordered just to begin dusting off this part of town before anyone else witnesses it or gets hurt."

"You're only cleaning it up? So you're basically trying to dispose of the evidence?" Heero replied grimly.

"Hey, I can't argue with that. But, as you know, orders are orders." The woman sighed in response.

"In that case, why don't you just halt this clean-up?"

"It's the decision of the Commander, kid." The woman said, then turned towards the scene, "Until that boy whom he said would go out and solve the mystery on his own, NERV won't be taking any big actions involving-"

"That 'boy' happens to be I." Heero said. At the same time, he thought about the Commander. This was all ordered by the same Commander of NERV. Heero didn't know the whole story about what's happening, but he knows that the Commander's first surprising move, according to that paper, was taking a lot of efforts into reconstructing the city. Now he's cleaning up a mess that he hasn't even figured out who or what made it.

"You're the boy? Are you the one they said was, um… Heero Yuy?"

"Yes."

The lady paused for a moment and scratched her chin. She glanced back at the scene, then towards Heero. She leaned towards him for a brief moment to whisper:

"Listen, Heero. Fuyutsuki permitted specific personnel, and only that personnel, to take charge of this area. Nobody else, not even Misato, is authorized to come near here. They only want this scene to be cleaned up pronto without any hesitation. I'll let you in on this scene for five minutes, and only five minutes, okay?"

"Roger that. It's all I need, anyway."

"Okay. My name is Maya**[4]**, by the way. Maya Ibuki. It's nice to meet you." She smiled and stood up straight again, turning back to towards the scene. Heero then advanced slowly towards the site and murmured silently:

"Thank you, Maya."

He realized the heap of rubble on the ground was much higher than it looked from afar. The NERV staff seemed to be more heavily concentrated on the opposite side of the debris where he was standing. He realized that NERV was already shooing them away, as what Maya told him they didn't want any more trespassers near this site. He went to work right away, and began scanning through the large pile of rocks. He began moving a few stones of cinderblock and concrete aside just to search even further. He chucked every stone aside and over his shoulder, and with each stone he had hoped to find something significant. After a few minutes of searching, he found _nothing_.

"Heero, I let you stay long enough. I-I'm sorry but for your own safety, I'll have to ask you to leave this site before you get caught." Maya nervously told Heero as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Alright…" Heero grumbled bitterly as he slowly rose to his feet.

"The longer you stay here, the more trouble I might get into. Please understand." Maya said softly with sympathy.

"It's fine. I couldn't find anything, anyway." Heero made his way out of the site. Suddenly, he had tripped and fallen over! He regained his posture immediately, but he turned to find what he tripped on – a large scrap piece of metal.

He turned back around away from the site, but he glanced at this piece of metal again. It looked dull and severely bent, but the overall shape of this scrap looked odd, almost in the shape of a bullet. _It was a shell_. Heero picked up this shell and observed it even more. He probably confused this for another rock, he thought. This peculiar shell…It was big, almost the size of a watermelon. It could only have come out of a cannon or a large machinegun. Heero tried to observe its maker on the rear of the shell, but the text on it was too faded away from all the dust and ash collected from the debris. He dropped the shell, and went into deep thought once more.

"Heero, I don't want to have to force you out of here. Um... Please go, now." Maya exclaimed.

Without responding, Heero walked away from the rubble until he was completely out of the scene's range. Walking past several people along the way, he tried to think. That shell, the size, the possibility, the answer? All of these ideas were rushing through Heero's mind right now. He found himself in the family park within moments, traipsing towards an elderly woman sitting on a bench and feeding pigeons. Heero collapsed onto the bench on the opposite end of her, placing his left palm on his forehead, immediately plunging into deep thought.

"So this shell I just found… Unless those attackers had cannons of some sort, could this shell have come from them," Heero said to himself under his breath, "It's just so familiar, though."

Heero molded brief yet solid images in his head. He tried to remember such huge shells, and what weapons possibly use such ammunition. The striking recall of the Aries**[5]** and Heavyarms**[6]** stimulated his thoughts…_Heavyarms_?

"Trowa**[7]**… Could he be?" Heero straightened himself on the bench as he pictured Trowa standing right in front of him. In his imagination alone, he saw a taller young man in front of him with hair in the shape of a huge bang. Heero formulated in his own mind of Trowa piloting his Gundam, but rather than fighting a war he is only ransacking a city. This image faded away from him in moments, and Heero whispered, "No, that would be impossible. He just couldn't do something so horrid."

Heero tilted his head downward once more, spending several more minutes simply thinking of possibilities. Out of sheer disappointment, he slapped his knee.

"I give up. I really won't accomplish anything by investigating within the city grounds." Heero grunted and stood up.

A woman's voice suddenly shouted from behind him, "Then why don't you come with me along the outskirts of Tokyo-3, then?"

Heero turned around and found the woman to be Misato. She was now wearing sunglasses, a red uniform bonnet on her head, and holding up a cup of coffee. She seemed to be pleased, in a casual way. Misato fixed her sunglasses and walked right up behind Heero.

"Oh, it's just you, Misato…" Heero murmured, "So, shall we start searching outside the city limits, now?"

"I've been hoping you'd say that a while ago. Heh." Misato rejoiced and took the vacant spot on the bench, crossing her long legs.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Misato. What's so amusing about this morning?" Heero murmured as he turned his head away a little.

"Well, can't a girl enjoy her Friday morning? I'm sure you had a ton of fun, too! Going around the city all by yourself, huh? Meet any cool people or any good-looking girls, Heero?" She said happily.

"Um, no." Heero replied hastily, "On that note, did you even do a little searching of your own?"

Irritated, Misato pulled off her sunglasses and looked towards Heero.

"Well, of course, kid. I'm just as focused on this mission as you are, alright?" Misato said and stood up. She took a breath and exclaimed, "Listen, I already checked the primary site of the attack, which I think you already visited. Seeing that that's the only piece of evidence we have around Tokyo-3, I might as well give you a decent road trip a little outside of Tokyo-3's boundaries. Does that sound like a plan?"

"That sounds just fine to me." Heero stood up from the bench and turned towards Misato.

"Come along, now." Misato said as she signaled him with a swift movement of her hand to follow her.

They walked out of the park and to the side of the street, where Misato's car lay. She pulled out her keys, pressed a little button on it, and the car beeped. She got into the driver's seat while Heero took the other side. She turned on the ignition – which made a tremendously loud noise – after they had both shut their doors and buckled up.

"Sorry about that. I really should've gotten this car fixed when I had the chance to." Misato said with embarrassment. Heero didn't respond and just looked forward as she began driving.

They pulled out away from the park and back onto the main road of the city. It seemed later, now, and there were more cars roaming the streets. Heero got a glimpse of more of the city, now. He found there were train stations high above the ground, with many people boarding these trains above him. Many of the buildings comprised of automatic sliding doors and touch screens, a technology not present or very rarely seen back home in AC 196. The buildings around him slowly began to grow taller, as it seemed. Heero could tell he was now in a more commercial and downtown area of the city, although the city, itself, wasn't that big in terms of area.

"Y'know, Heero, not all of this was around before. It only took two months to make all this possible, thanks to the rebuilding project by the Commander, funded by the UN. Hey, it could be some form of retaliation of the Angels. You never know." Misato explained.

"I figured." Heero replied calmly. His head had been facing out the window this entire time, being completely uninterested in what Misato was saying. He had thought more about the shell he had found, and how much it strongly linked to a potential mobile suit. _Heavyarms?_ The question rang through his head consistently. He finally felt the urge to ask Misato, as she knew more about this world than he did.

"Misato?" Heero murmured in question.

"Yeah? What's up?" Misato replied as she fixed her sunglasses on her face again.

"Tell me. Has this city ever been under fire by solid ammunition? Aside from these Angels you frequently refer to, have you ever been attacked by other human beings?" Heero explained turned towards Misato in his stern expression.

"Not that I know of, no. Tokyo-3 surely hasn't been the target for any terrorist activity, as far as I'm concerned. For the past couple years, in general, we've been keeping our cool by fighting the Angels over other humans." Misato remarked. She slowly moved her hands up the steering wheel, driving comfortably with her palms. "These are times where humans really shouldn't be fighting each other. There hasn't been a single war or conflict for a while since we've practically all banded together to retaliate against those monsters."

Under Misato's dark, black glasses, Heero could see a hint of anger on her face. He turned his attention back to outside of the car, now thinking about these Angels. Heero imagined that they weren't an enemy to be reckoned with. He wanted to know more right now, but felt he shouldn't ask Misato, in particular.

Heero noticed after a couple of moments of staring outside that the buildings, lights, and signs slowly began to fade away. Slowly the city began to gain a more residential look. There were houses and apartment complexes in various corners, now. They were all neat and fine-looking homes, inhabited by joyous people. Heero especially noticed the middle-aged woman at one apartment happily hanging garments on a clothesline. They were soon out of this more suburban area, now. There were more trees surrounding them, now. They were on a highway, leaving Tokyo-3. The environment now seemed to be a mixture of both desolate wasteland and heavily forested areas. It was still quite bright outside, however, and there was nothing but blue skies above them. He glanced back inside of the car, checking if Misato had a clock or something to tell him the time. The clock resided right above what appeared to be a radio, reading 10:31.

Right under that clock, however, he found a picture. Out of curiosity, he peeked at it. In this picture, Misato was standing tall in the far back of a group of kids, smiling and holding up a badge of some kind. Amongst the kids were a girl with long red-orange hair in the same school uniform, a tan boy with a sports jacket and sweat pants, another boy in a school uniform wearing glasses, and another boy wearing a school uniform wearing headphones of some kind. _Headphones_? Heero thought this seemed rather familiar to him. This looked just like the same boy he encountered earlier at the bus stop, and it was. He turned to Misato immediately.

"Do you know this boy, Misato?" Heero asked as he took the picture, sliding his thumb across boy's face.

"Him? That fella?" Misato said with a brief smile, "That's Shinji!"

"Shinji...?"

"That's the Commander's kid, Shinji Ikari." Misato happily remarked. "Just another shy little fellow around these parts. I'm sure you'll like him if you ever get to meet him!"

"The Commander's son?" Heero murmured as he placed the picture back on top of the radio, still staring at it, "So that boy from earlier was none other then the Commander's own kid."

"You got that r-!" Misato jumped from her seat and glanced at Heero in shock, "Wait, what did you say?"

"I bumped into the same boy earlier, exactly how he looked in this picture. I found him holding a book labeled as NERV property, but he denied even being apart of the agency."

Misato nervously tilted her head, slowly turning her attention back to the road. "Right... He's been...Let's just say under the heat, lately." She was completely silent afterwards. Her eyes were glued onto the road, and she had not bothered laying another look at Heero now.

Heero returned staring out the window. He had no clue what to think about now. It was as if his mind were cluttered with questions he was desperate for answers for. He wondered a little on why that boy, Shinji, would deny that he's apart of NERV. That led back to Misato, and he wondered if she was hiding anything. His eyes veered in her direction, and she was just driving calmly and in cool fashion. He looked back outside, now looking at some kind of forested area. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping to rest a bit. He had no clue where Misato would be taking him right now, probably to just keep driving until she sees something interesting.

Suddenly, an outburst struck Heero's mind! He saw an immense figure soaring just above the woods! Judging by the size and what it was possibly holding, it was a mobile suit! He couldn't identify it, only barely in this dream. Heero immediately woke up and slammed his head on the back of the chair.

"Stop the car!" Heero bellowed. Misato gasped and slammed the breaks. She took a deep breath then glared at him.

"You could've just asked me politely, y'know! What the hell was that for?" Misato paused and cleared her throat, speaking again, "What is it? You better have a decent reason why you shouted like that." Misato said bitterly.

Heero looked back towards the woods. The flying unit was gone, but it couldn't have landed anywhere nearby. It disappeared. He unlocked his door and stepped out, staring towards the mountain where he had assumed it landed.

"Come with me. I think we'll cover the rest of this search by foot, now." Heero muttered. Misato shook her head as she parked the car, removed her keys and stepped out to follow.

"You must've seen something really big, huh kid? Was it a ghost?" Misato mocked.

"It was big. A ghost? Far from it." Heero said as he walked slowly into the forests of the mountain. Misato followed him with discontent. She grumbled with every step she followed him with.

They were a few feet into the forest, now. The trees were lustrous upon the radiance of the shining sun. Even Heero could feel the aroma emitted by these gifts of nature - a bliss he hadn't felt for such a long time. He took a brief moment to observe the greatness of this place, and continued walking forward with Misato - still grumpy - following him. Heero instantly assumed she wasn't pleased with his being right now. He simply felt nothing but pity for her that moment on.

"You know, Heero... It's hard to keep up with you if all I know is we're walking into a giant pit hole..." Misato complained.

"Shut up, please." Heero bluntly replied.

"_Excuse me_?" Misato barked. She shook her head violently and looked downward, "Forget it. Just keep going already."

They stayed on that path, the path that Heero apparently established. He tried to trace where exactly that figure would land in this area, (thanks to his on-field training sklls in forested areas like this.) He closely observed for any clues around the area, too. The ground, the trees, and even the wind blowing would give him an idea of where this colossus could have landed. Misato just looked at him puzzled the whole time. Heero remained focus and tried to pay no attention to her.

He suddenly felt another strange feeling come to him, then. Just like back at Misato's car, there was some kind of entity calling him forward. Much like _that girl_, he thought, the same ambience aroused Heero. He turned his head eastward, away from the sun, where the call was coming from.

"Let's keep going." Heero started dashing straight into the depths of the forest. Misato moaned.

"Wait up!" Misato rushed after him, saying under her breath, "That is one stubborn kid…"

Heero kept running forward. Past the many trees and soft ground, he knew he was getting closer to where he was being called. The forest around him slowly began to get darker, indicating that they were already so deep. The leaves from the trees above him thickened, and less and less sunlight shimmered upon him.

At last, ahead of him, he saw a place a little brighter. The path had finally ended here, and he found himself standing upon the edge of a high, rocky ledge. There was to his left, a huge waterfall crashing down onto a rapid, streaming mightily straight below him. The feeling, Heero felt, ended here. He no longer felt that sensation of being summoned minutes ago. He turned back behind him, noticing Misato. She was panting heavily, trying to keep up with him this whole time. Misato stumbled onto a tree, leaning on it and trying to relax.

"Now, y-you…" Misato sighed deeply, "Y-you better have something good on why we had to come this far!"

"I think we're right here." Heero said as he turned towards the river.

"You've reached a dead end, Heero. There's nothing in front of you but rocks and rapids! Whatever your brilliant idea was wasted a chunk of our time!" Misato scolded.

"I know what I'm doing, Misato." Heero asserted. He furiously turned back to her, and she returned to him a bitter look.

"Of all the places in the world, it had to be just a random mountain outside of Tokyo-3! You better give me a reason why you brought us out here, or I'll have to report you to the authorities of NERV. You got that, kid? Speak up, now!" Misato demanded as she rose to her feet, now standing in a perfectly authoritarian posture.

Heero turned completely to her and began speaking, "You didn't see it, did you? I noticed something much similar to the Gundam just fly here now. It was a strange consciousness that struck me back on the highway. It was calling me to this location, but that feeling has faded by now."

"It's _gone_?" Misato drawled in utter disappointment, "You really did lead us to a dead end… I can't believe I trusted you coming all the way here!" Misato angrily pulled her hat off and threw it to the ground, then turned back to Heero, "I hate to have to do this to you, Heero, but I'm afraid you'll be referred again to the much higher authorities of NERV staff. They'll decide what to do with you from there."

"So be it." Heero promptly replied, "I didn't make any agreement to collaborate with NERV. I'm acting on this on my own and for the sake of my friend. You had blackmailed me and my friend, and I-…"

"It was only a direct order of the Commander, Heero!" Misato interrupted abruptly.

Heero paused and stared directly into Misato's eyes for a minute. He was indefinitely furious, perhaps beyond that. He hadn't even known this man whom she called the Commander and he already had a grudge building for him. He clenched his fist, closed his eyes, and turned directly towards the rapid.

"Take me…" Heero whispered, "Take me to this 'Commander' once my business is done here."

"Sure… I'll let you know you're not gonna love it, _at all_." Misato replied mockingly and turned around, ready to head back towards the highway.

Heero looked straight down towards the water. He wondered now his next move. The spot where he should be could possibly be behind this brook, he thought.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremor! Heero jumped in shock, looking around his environment. Misato was still behind him, a little farther, but she was gazing towards him in fright. They both felt the shaking under their feet! The power of this tremor was only mild, however. In moments, the shaking stopped.

"D-did you feel that?" Misato asked nervously.

All of a sudden, Heero felt the ground collapse under him! He trembled through the hard stones falling down against the ledge, then crashed into the heavy flowing water! He fell rather deep, but immediately he swam upward and flung his head out of the water. He found Misato, frightfully staring at him. She held her hand out towards him, but of course, she was _far_ out of reach. Even he knew that she couldn't help him.

"Heero!" Misato screamed at the top of her voice. Heero couldn't reply and cry to her for help. He was helpless.

The velocity of the rapids forced him down the river. Heero could barely move his body, nor swim in attempt to escape this raging river. He couldn't pay attention to where exactly he was going, for he had to focus on enduring this horror. Ahead of him, a very large boulder assumingly attached to the floor of the water lay. Heero tried to swim away from it, but the rapid was too strong and he crashed into it with great force. The collision knocked him down, and he lost all consciousness.

**[1]** After Colony 196 (AC 196) is a year in the timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. After Colony 195 (AC 195), the preceding year, marked the event of the Eve Wars, a massive conflict between the colonies, the Organization of Zodiac, and the White Fang. AC 196 marks the year beginning peace between Earth and the colonies.

**[2]** Heads-up: Do keep in mind that every text read by a character in this story will very likely not be read in English. As the setting takes place in Tokyo-3, Japan, you will be expected to know every written or read content will be written in Kanji, etc.

**[3]** Kensuke Aida is a supporting character in Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is a friend of protagonist Shinji Ikari, and is classified by his desire to become an Eva pilot as well as his curious behavior.

**[4] **Maya Ibuki is a supporting character in Neon Genesis Evangelion. She works under the technical branch at NERV and is one of the three main computer technicians. She is also classified by her optimistic and innocent personality throughout the show.

**[5] **The Aries (OZ-07AMS) is a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. It's a common aerial grunt unit used by OZ (Organization of Zodiac) and is classified by its excellent flight capability and maneuverability.

**[6] **Heavyarms (XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms) is a mobile suit and one of the five main Gundams from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The unit is piloted by Trowa Barton. It is classified by its heavy ammunition and firepower, and is capable of combating fleets of enemy mobile suits. It is later upgraded into the Heavyarms Kai (XXXG-01H2 Gundam Heavyarms Kai) and is capable of even more destruction.

**[7] **Trowa Barton is one of the five main characters and Gundam pilots from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Like Heero Yuy, he is rather stoic in demeanor and shows little to no personality (to a lesser extent.) He pilots the Gundam Heavyarms and Heavyarms Kai. His appearance is noted as a tall boy with long, brown hair in a shape of a huge bang.


	5. Chapter 05

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai, Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno, Gainax<strong>

**Chapter 05**

**Updates to all chapters (including this one, probably) are coming up.**

* * *

><p>Just right above him, the sky looked a little bit brighter. He remained half-asleep, and continued to struggle just to widen his eyes in a pinch. Oddly yet randomly, his feet felt quite cold. Still struggling to open his eyes fully, he leaned up slightly. He felt a little stiffness in his neck, and so he jerked it a little. Heero felt almost entirely numb now, but he was able to realize right now that his feet were being washed up in cool water. He brought his feet closer to him, and with a great amount of effort, he weakly rose to stand. Heero felt wobbly and shaky, rather unable to maintain his posture. The pressure of the rapids probably rendered him this way, he thought.<p>

After a moment of his agony, he finally was able to recover from that mania. Heero found himself out of the rapids and in more silent water, this time. It was a brook, a fascinating site. The stream of the water was much calmer, and the forest surrounding the area retained its beauty. He could feel the aroma of the forest once again, flowing through his veins and into his soul. He kneeled down towards the rim of the brook, dipped his hand softly in the water, and brought his hand to his face, cleansing it with smooth strokes of his hand. Heero finally felt fully refreshed, now. He rose to his feet, now fully refreshed, continuing to observe his surroundings.

"How the hell did I get here?" Heero murmured to himself. His sleeveless top, jeans, and shoes were already completely dry. He assumed had been lying here for a while. He vaguely remembered that he crashed into a stone in the mighty flowing river. Before that, however, Heero recalled Misato following him through the woods. It came back to him in no time, he felt.

Heero briefly turned around, and suddenly noticed a cave implanted in the enormous mountain walls. He then concluded, he was still in the mountains. He was lost and _stuck_, to be more precise. The rapids must have only sent him at least a small distance down the mountain, but how he suddenly stopped at this particular site? It could've been coincidence, he felt. However, what made the air around him feel thinner was that Heero spotted an abandoned campfire lying in between him and the cave. The ashes he found before him looked fresh, arousing to him that there was somebody here not long before him. Immediately, Heero made his way towards the cave in suspicions of someone else lurking in this same area.

Something metallic and shiny attached to the outer cave walls caught Heero's attention in this mild dusk. As he came closer to it, it looked sharp and had a handle on it – a sword of some sort stabbed into the wall. Heero grasped the handle of this blade, and yanked it out of the walls. He observed that this blade was partially severed, along with the distinct thinness – a broken rapier. Now he noticed something else peculiar about this sword as the light from outside the cave emitted upon it – this blade was bloody.

"The blood on this sword is still wet…" Heero said to himself as he quickly stroked his forefinger across the bloody edge of the blade. The smell of it was still strong and metallic, "It has to be. Somebody was here, _waiting_ for me to come…" Heero infuriatingly turned his head towards the complete blackness of the cave. He felt in an instant that somebody was awaiting him in there. By coincidence or not, Heero very well wanted to encounter this antagonist.

He dashed back over to the brook momentarily, and washed the wet blood off of the severed rapier he was wielding. Immediately, he turned back towards the cave. He rushed straight into the darkness, holding the sword tightly. He had not worried at the slightest about where or what he would be running into with the minimal light. However, the light around him slowly began to fade, and eventually there was no light or even sight of the outside. He was walking in thick darkness, now.

Heero kept his eyes shut. He tried to observe a little the entire area before he progressed any further. There weren't any torches, any light sources let alone, and he walked as a blind man. He took small steps, but he felt he was, indeed, going further into this cave at least. Heero realized after a few moments in this darkness of the cave that there were no sounds of bats or other animals, which he felt was to his advantage right now, but still seemed rather unusual. However, it still didn't help him that he could not see a thing. He had opened his eyes, but he felt he could just fall asleep right now with his eyes open had he been in here long enough.

He bumped his head once against – what he assumed to be – a giant stalactite in the cave ceiling. He grunted quietly, and tried to walk around it. Suddenly, he saw a supposed miracle ahead of him. The cave began to lighten up as he moved forward. Very dimly, the cave turned a significantly dull and dark shade of blue. Heero paused in his footsteps as he stared at this new scene in awe. He had found himself in a tremendous dome-shaped room of this cave. The entire space took the shape of a perfect hemisphere and was faintly lighted blue. It was almost the size of the Geofront, only much smaller and darker. Just below him was a path leading to the depths of this cave, which was cluttered with more rocky landscape. Heero questioned the peculiar shape of this space in a cave. He started his way down this stairway-feeling path, hoping that it would bring him closer to this adversary.

When he had reached the bottom, this site seemed even gloomier than the rest of the cave from earlier. There was a complete silence. Heero couldn't even hear his own footsteps through this part of the cave floors. What was even more odd about this atmosphere, it was much brighter. He felt as if he were in some kind of a maze, now, and the round ceiling above him. As he continued forward, the light began to intensify a little. Heero stopped as he finally found one of the sources of light, much different from the blue luminescence that lit the whole cave. There was a fresh-lit torch attached to the cave walls. Without hesitation, he swiped it off the wall and gripped it tightly in his opposite hand of the sword. Heero knew now, that it became more obvious that he wasn't alone in the cave. What was even more obvious at that moment was there could just be somebody awaiting his presence.

Heero wandered further in this dusky maze. It felt like it's been an hour since he first woke up at the brook. Occasionally, he would look up at the humongous cave ceiling just to get an idea of where he was. It didn't help. The torch, he noticed, started to lose it's flame. He'd be wondering in total darkness if it went out so soon. Irritated enough at this fact, he threw the torch over his shoulder, listening to it as it splashed into a puddle of the cave. Heero moved on, when suddenly he felt a stench coming from somewhere groped for his sense of smell. It came from behind him, from the smoke flowing from the torch he just threw aside. Heero walked over at the puddle it landed in, kneeled down, and dipped his finger in it. _It couldn't be_. He didn't even question what this was, _it was more blood_. He violently shook his finger off of the nasty liquid.

"This is...-" Heero gasped in shock all of a sudden when he tilted his head upward and found a glimmering face lying in the water. It was staring straight at him. It was the face of a man with an enormous bloody scar scorching its left forehead, and its two intimidating eyes held no pupils. Heero jumped and stood up completely, "This is a graveyard...A hell. The entire cave."

The air around him thickened. It felt so intense that Heero felt the pressure of the air crushing him. It got cold, severely cold. Heero maintained himself and tried not to give into fear. He started to walk again on the path he was taking, trying to ignore the frightening scene he saw. His foot suddenly became wet again! He had stepped into blood, and ahead of him was an entire pond full of it. This time, rather than a face, there were corpses dwelling throughout this pool of blood. Heero calmly stepped out of the red ooze and shook it off his shoe. He looked to his right, finding a dark entryway that hopefully led out of this area. He dashed towards it, without a glimpse of hesitation. On the way there, he found even more bloody baths in every direction he looked. The corpses lying in these baths were all glowing a horrific pale green. The sight sent chills down his spine, but he tried to ignore them and continue to move on. He was already in at the brink of the darkness of this entryway.

Heero ran. The bluish tint of the cave had vanished. He was racing through a hall of thick darkness once again. He was not running due to his fear, but instead he was running to find _him_. The supposed individual who was waiting for Heero was bound to be within the darkness of this cave. He only had to find confront this person once and for all. Heero had become the fugitive of this unknown mastermind.

_Heero?_

He came to a complete stop in the middle of the lurid path. He heard her soft voice, one again, of the girl who had been disturbing him anonymously since his arrival in this world. Heero clenched his fist and closed his eyes. He calmly thought in his own mind:

_Who are you?_

_You will discover in time. You must turn back and return before he finds you._

_Who? Who is it? Who is the one that lured me here? _Heero looked ahead into the darkness when he replied, still eager to move forward while ignoring this girl.

_Who is the man whom lusts for war above all? Do not face him, Heero. All he wants is you._

That was her hint. He ignored her request not to face him. _This person invited me here, and I'll gladly accept his generosity. _Heero thought.

Heero, trying to remember all the people from his home world, he fell again into a state of deep thinking. He looked into his own world, into AC 196. The images were tossed at him one after the other! Suddenly, they instantly vanished, and he had no reminiscence of the past. In a swift outburst, he flung the sword at the wall. He took his fist and slammed it against the cave floor, even somewhat cracking it.

"Damn it! Why can I not remember!" Heero roared to himself. He shook his head and calmed down. He looked straight ahead, still staring into pure darkness. He didn't know where this hall in the cave would lead him, but it was all he had to trust now. He reached for the sword, lifting it gently off the ground and held it firmly. He silently walked forward now, trying not to lose control of his anger a second time.

He remained in the doldrums in his own thoughts. Heero spontaneously viewed upon the various images that struck through his mind. At the same time, he questioned that girl. He knew right from the start, that _she_ knew exactly why he was here.

Heero blinked. He noticed some sort of light at the end of this black hallway. It appeared to be flickering on and off - probably a fire of some sort. He immediately rushed towards this source of light. As he went forward, the cave around him mysteriously began to narrow. He paused once, looking at his surroundings. He still paid little attention to this awkward shrinking of the scene, and nonchalantly kept moving forward.

He stopped right before where the light was coming from. Right in front of him, a powerful bonfire lit. Several meters above it was an opening in the ceiling emitting a weak sunlight upon the fire. Judging by the light from above, it was almost evening. Heero traipsed very slowly as he went towards the fire. He noticed a shiny, sharp object impaled into the heart of the fire. It looked similar in shape to the sword half he was wielding in his left hand right now. He didn't know how to use this weapon, however.

The broken rapier suddenly began to vibrate heavily. Heero's arm shook alongside it, causing him to lose his grip on the handle. He dropped the sword, watching it as it slowly began to stop vibrating. He looked over at the supposed other half of the blade in the fire, then back at the one in the ground. He froze. He couldn't feel a muscle of his moving at the slightest. Heero was totally isolated from reality, he felt. The room around him spun, revolving around his own eyes. The air in his lungs fled from his entire body. While he had shown no fear on the outside, he found this sudden numbness to be a nightmare.

"_Hello, Heero_." A man's voice rung through the entire room.

Heero collapsed on to the ground, staring straight down and could not see who this was, _but he found him_. This person who just began speaking was _definitely _the one who awaited him. He stared back over at the fire, noticing both the sword handle on the ground and the blade itself were gone. He looked further upward. There stood a tall man in his early 20's with long, platinum blonde hair. He had been wearing a red military coat with gold-trimmed epaulettes on his shoulders, a tight, white pair of trousers, and stretched long black boots. Heero had finally recognized this man within seconds. It was none other than the man whom advocated war as a resort to peace; it was Milliardo Peacecraft**[1]** standing before him.

"So that girl was right all along..." Heero very quietly said to himself. The man who lusts for war more than any man perfectly defined him. He regained his stance onto his feet, looking straight at Milliardo, "Hello, Zechs. I assume you were waiting for me here all along?"

"That's right, Heero." Milliardo pulled from his left side a blade - looking exactly like the two halves of the rapier he had found. The sword was less dull and looked more brilliant as he held it against the light shining from the crevice above. Milliardo pointed it straight towards Heero for a moment, "You've entered a domain of a war monger. You've seen the many souls resting in those bloody pools out there. Every one of them, a victim of war. So unless you don't want to die, I suggest we make every moment of our time resourceful."

Heero felt furious. Indeed, this cave was a graveyard. That was an understatement. He felt great animosity for Milliardo's stockpiling of many victims - regardless if they were war victims or not - into a barren cave. This seemed inhumane, even for somebody like Milliardo. He questioned this for a moment, but he immediately returned to the conversation and asked:

"Seeing as though you're the one who led me here, why don't you initiate this talk?" Heero replied solemnly. Milliardo lowered his sword, slicing straight into the cave grounds.

"Hm. Why don't you tell me how you're enjoying this new home of yours?" Milliardo said in a serious tone.

"Not one bit. The moment we came here, we had been taken into custody by the inhabitants of this planet. While they are human just like us, they seem to know a greater conflict beyond our belief."

"So you've learned a little bit about this world? I'm impressed." Milliardo closed his eyes as he laid both his palms on the handle of the blade.

"Don't you mock me, Zechs." Heero said with a little disgust, "I left my friend behind in order to investigate a series of ambushes upon the city of New Tokyo-3. He's depending on me for his own freedom, and do you think-..."

"The pilot of 02**[2]**, am I correct?" Milliardo interrupted.

"Yes." Heero responded quickly. He looked straight at Milliardo, who returned to him a glare. Milliardo jerked his head downward and snickered silently to himself, then looked right back up at Heero with the same piercing glare.

"Alright, then. I think you've found what you're looking for, then. You're standing before the one responsible for those attacks. Those were, indeed, mobile suits that I sent that night to cause a pinch of destruction."

Heero jumped in his thoughts. He was not surprised, and he knew that somehow he had his hands on some kind of mobile suit. The shell he found within the city; that clearly came from a mobile suit.

"You've found him already, so are you prepared to take me in?" Milliardo said, interrupting Heero's thoughts. He suddenly flipped his sword over, catching it by the sharp edge of the blade. He tossed it over to Heero, landing right before him.

Heero stared straight down at this sword, observing its great fine qualities. However, he knew Zechs much better than this. He picked up the sword with his right hand, holding it next to him.

"That's the spirit, Heero." Milliardo took his right hand and placed it over his left shoulder. Heero shook his head and tossed the blade back over the fire and in front of Milliardo. Milliardo calmly replied to this action, "I see you've anticipated me well. You knew I wouldn't forfeit my life so easily."

"...And that's why you chose to continue fighting all this time. So tell me, Zechs...I can barely remember it, but I feel like you've somewhat followed me here."

"And I did."

"In that case, tell me why. Why have you followed me into this new world? You don't have any intentions for this new planet." Heero exclaimed.

"I do, Heero." Milliardo answered hastily.

"If you desired to simply destroy the world, you've already done that. Every colony, home, and person had been eradicated already. I feel it's been done by your own doing, but I just can't seem to fully remember the whole incident. You've won, Zechs. You have no purpose here in this world. Leave its inhabitants alone."

"You absolutely fail to understand my motive in this individual universe. Never have I felt the urge to kill for my own selfish desire!"

"Then tell me, Zechs! Why do you wish to eliminate those you consider weak?" Heero demanded.

"Like every war that is started, there must be a reason to spawn a disastrous conflict in history. If war were to be born from one's own self-indulgence, would it even be proper to call it a war?

I've learned about this new Earth beforehand. Perhaps at a first sight it seems just like the same haven for all of humanity, but they're wrong. Ever since the event known as First Impact**[3]**, the first contact between humans and a divine species, the Angels, took place. It was a moment in time that would change the course of their history forever. Upon the Black Moon**[4]** colliding with the planet Earth did the Angel, Lilith**[4]**, meet with the White Moon**[5]** of Adam**[6] **on this Earth, eventually creating the first living organisms to ever grace this world. However, the Angels of Adam could not coexist with the opposite beings of humans on this Earth. So what does that tell us about the relationship between the two species?

I believe that the real uprising of war began with a second clash of the two striving forces, which is all it takes for a war to ignite…And that did happen from a following incident of Second Impact**[7]**, hence the real struggle between Angels and humans rooted from this. As even I cannot name the timeline of events of that year, it was indefinitely the ultimate judgment for a handful of humanity's mistakes. The collision of the meteor, the explosion, or whatever incident had occurred followed by the global coastal flooding both contributed to the awakening of their despair. As many people across the world fight over what remains for their own survival, it then gave birth to the potential for even more violence…And so, _hell broke loose_. One of the many results from Second Impact was a nuclear war spreading throughout the globe. Humanity could not handle the crisis that was slowly corrupting them, and so they foolishly resorted to war. Just when all could not get any worse from Second Impact, it was war that further shattered the spirits of all living life on Earth. Second Impact, the most recent of disasters, could have arguably been done by the work of Adam. Would the Angel really choose to lay his wrath on the billions of people?

But no…What's done has already been done, as After Colony 196 has been laid to waste. Only recently did humans wage war against the Angels with their tactics and technology. It's merely an inevitable thing, as it seems, and I want it to cease for good. Very soon may the Third Impact occur, which I hold no knowledge about. Perhaps it's only one of the many forms of judgment upon humanity, and judgment is a concept I've always adopted since becoming a colonel of OZ**[8]**.

So you see now, Heero. Even when departing from our own world, the same problem will follow us. Travel through many worlds, and you will encounter the inevitability of war. I've been given a chance, at long last, to possibly eliminate those who've honored the ideal. _I am_ the executioner. _I am_ the apostle. I have achieved a status above any normal human, the rank between man and God. _I am_ the Count of War."

Heero went completely silent. He was at a lost for words when he had heard Milliardo deliver his entire motive in one speech. His original impressions towards Milliardo slowly began to dwindle in his thoughts. Zechs was no longer the warlord whom started the wars, but now he was the prosecutor who hoped to punish those for the crime of war. However, something else that was striking about Milliardo crossed his mind. He knew all about the history of this world: the Angels, Third Impact, and even the two impacts preceding it. He even claimed to be between God and man, but what did he mean? Heero thought.

"Do you not have any say, Heero?" Milliardo remarked.

"I do." Heero shook off the colliding thoughts in his mind and stared thoroughly towards Zechs, "How did you become a kind of demigod? Perhaps you gained a gift of a little omniscience upon obtaining it. Where did you get the resources and weapons to attack Tokyo-3 like you said? What had happened back in After Colony 196? I must know, Zechs, and I want to know answers."

"I will only answer your first question, as it's the only I can offer precisely." Milliardo stated. Heero stood solemnly awaiting his answer.

"Tell me, then."

"After the last moments of the Eve Wars**[9]**, I found myself within the depths of the sea. Broken, torn, and scarred I was inside of my mobile suit. At that moment, I felt you were right that war was completely pointless. But I was presented a second option, a chance to eliminate war for good...As I was visited by a celestial force who would grant me the tools I needed to completely wipe out war. I revived my army, and redeemed my morale. However, little did I know that these powers I've been given would bring destruction in the process. But nevertheless, I am proud to hold these powers, and I have awakened as the Count of War." Milliardo asserted.

"The Count of War, hm? Why do you perpetually remark yourself as that?" Heero mockingly replied in a serious tone.

"Because the title refers to one crusader out of four." Milliardo replied.

Heero thought about this for a moment. At first, he felt that Zechs was only coming up with a childish title to brand himself. There were four of them, just like him. Heero still felt doubt about Milliardo being a demigod. He looked up at him once again.

"Why don't you show me a little bit what you can do as this 'Count of War'?" Heero murmured.

"Very well, then." Milliardo immediately lifted his sword high.

Heero was astonished. The fire in between them was lifted above the wood, forming a huge fireball in midair. He watched as the fireball began to move, racing around the corners of this room in the cave. It suddenly began to expand, and it took the shape of the entire area. Heero now observed as they appeared to be in an enormous cage forged from flames. But then, the fiery cage subsided and eventually faded completely. Zechs was now standing right under the light being cast of from above, which was now somewhat darker.

"Are you convinced enough, Heero?" Milliardo asked determinedly.

"You got me, Zechs..." Heero replied with no amusement, "But you still leave plenty of my questions unanswered. The one I want above all is, what happened in the last moments of After Colony 196? You know much more than I do, and I beg of you now. Please tell me." Heero demanded. Milliardo grinned rather evilly in return.

"Hmm, so you did forget all that took place in the final and darkest hour of our home world." Milliardo proclaimed. Heero felt so anxious inside right now, he seemed stunned.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you? I need these answers, Zechs. Duo couldn't recall accurately what happened on that last day."

Milliardo smirked grimly and shook his head. He glanced at Heero with a serious look, "You fool. Do you feel that I intended for you to forget?"

Heero was completely stunned by Milliardo's words. He felt vengeful inside and was ready to kill him if he dared. He took a step forward with his fists clenched.

"What's the matter, Heero? Have you felt no pity upon yourself at all?" Milliardo affirmed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You should have at least remembered one bit of your past, something that will haunt you for eternity because of that misdeed." Milliardo scolded. Heero was still in confusion, making him more curious of what he was referring to.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Look through the wounds on your body and you'll find what I mean! Let _that_ be the one to answer you!" Milliardo bellowed.

Heero pulled off his shirt for a moment. He could already see what Milliardo meant. There was a scar marked on the right side of his chest in a peculiar shape. It looked inverted, and it took the shape of...A balancing scale as it seemed. He pulled his shirt back on, staring downward in resentment.

"So does that reveal anything to you, Heero? Does it provide any closure to the darkest hour of your homeland?" Milliardo asked.

"No..." Heero murmured.

"So what are you going to do? As I still consider myself a soldier, I act upon my honor and-..." Milliardo was interrupted.

"I don't understand why you still feel hatred for humans, your own kind, your flesh and blood. We continue to make the countless mistakes throughout history, but that's what makes us human because of our flaws and imperfections. I've told you before, Zechs. You are right, war is born out of weakness humanity has displayed because we fail to determine righteous solutions. I can't stand the weak. They're always nervous about when they might be next attacked. They can't trust anybody and they never have an opinion of their own. I can't stand such people! Zechs, nobody is strong. All of humanity is weak. And that includes us as well**[10]**." Heero emphasized in a deliberate tone. Milliardo simply kept staring down at him. They were both completely silent for a few minutes, standing and staring at one-another.

"...I understand what you mean, Heero. I cannot withhold what I've just obliged to, however. If you wish for me to leave this planet, you will have to do so by force." Milliardo impaled his sword into the ground and stood firmly.

"Now why can't you, Zechs? You have gone insane if you say you can't choose. Whether or not you wish to lay waste to this world, you still live by your own free will. Nothing can deprive you of that. I don't wish to fight you. A war would be pointless." Heero said stared straight down.

"No..." Milliardo looked sharply down at him, "Your words do move me, so do not get me wrong. However, I am being told _by my own will_ to continue to follow my pride. For a tragedy to occur back in our world like that, I cannot change my mind. I don't ask of you for a war, I challenge you to a duel to determine the fate of this planet."

Heero glanced back up at Milliardo, "What was this tragedy you're speaking of?"

Milliardo suddenly appeared very anger. He raised his hand above him, glaring down at Heero very bitterly. He flung his hand downward, striking Heero across his face, knocking him downward. Heero fell back on his rear, immediately looking up towards Milliardo. He found Milliardo very anguished, sweating and groaning heavily.

"I...I-I can't believe you could just forget that!" Milliardo muttered. Heero felt a little bit of sorrow for him at that moment, but he did not show it at all.

"Why don't you tell me, then? That's what I've been trying to ask you this whole time." Heero retorted as he lifted himself back on his feet.

"No." Milliardo replied and began to relax in his tone of voice. "I'll let you wander around in that question. Consider it my parting gift to you before our duel."

The ground suddenly began to shake violently! Heero tried to retain his stance while Milliardo did not react. The ceiling began to crumble as tiny fragments of stone began landing around them. Suddenly, an enormous object crashed through the ceiling! It blasted through the thick, solid rock with a threatening collision. Heero dove for cover, folding his arms behind his head, trying to avoid the huge boulders being dropping everywhere. He had noticed - while peeking through his right arm - that Milliardo was still standing in that same sport uniformly.

The terror concluded in just a few moments. Heero was able to stand up again, but his eyes were covered in dust. He was in awe. The stones had landed everywhere around him but where he was crouching. Heero rubbed his eyes to rid of the dust. Milliardo was still right in front him holding his hand up high, but somewhat elevated. He was standing on the palm of a mobile suit, a Virgo. Heero gazed upon its humongous build of the machine. The enormous grunt mobile suit appeared fresh from the production line. It was definitely the massive engine of destruction of the White Fang**[11]**.

Heero felt like this wasn't the only unit at hand. He began to hear footsteps gathering around the ditch he was standing in. He began listening more closely as he heard the loading of guns. Above him, surrounding him and Milliardo, stood several men armed with guns. Every one of them looked down at Heero, each presenting him a wicked grin. He assumed they were White Fang, and they were. Standing in one end of the surrounding troops was Quinze**[12]**, the ruthless leader of the White Fang. Heero's eyes widened a little. He was for certain that these men, including Quinze, were killed in the events of the Eve Wars. That was the least of his worries right now, however. They pointed their weapons towards him, but Milliardo immediately raised his hand to halt them. He turned his attention to Heero.

"I let you live _for now_, Heero. Do you wish to accept my challenge? A duel to determine the victor between us?" Milliardo contended.

Heero didn't speak a word for a moment. He knew already that Milliardo had lost his mind. Heero suspected from the beginning that this was so unlike the Milliardo from their world. He had become a behemoth, a heartless warlock that had just unleashed itself within him. Heero stood up strongly, and he replied:

"I accept, Zechs." Heero paused, "But let me assure you that by any means do I believe this fight will be worthwhile. I'll be prepared to kill you if I should..."

"Just the answer I wanted to hear." Milliardo said with a slight immoral smirk, "We shall meet in the battlefield just outside of the city you currently reside in. We will meet there after dawn. You may choose to wage your Gundam against me, though I will choose whether or not to use a mobile suit. It's about time I test your compassion towards humanity, Heero."

Heero questioned Zech's honor for a moment. He then remembered that he had a remarkable grudge on Heero for something he could not remember. It clearly linked back to one of the questions that's been tormenting him in his nightmares and hallucinations. He desperately wanted to ask him, as his enemy before him indubitably held his answers.

"Let me ask you one more thing: Are you challenging me because of your engagement towards eradicating war? Or are you doing this for your revenge of some sort?" Milliardo did not reply. Instead, he kept staring down at him as the Virgo lifted him upward.

"I've said my peace, Heero. Fail to comply with my conditions will I choose my own way of handling you. _Now run_. Run while I still allow it." Milliardo whispered. The Virgo raised its hand up to its shoulder height, still holding Milliardo in its palm, and walked away. The White Fang troops surrounding Heero moved aside to create a gap for him to run through.

Without any hesitation, Heero immediately began pacing up the cave rubble and through the gap the troops allowed him. He was back in the woods, now, running straightforward. It was much darker now, and he found the sun nearly completely gone from the skies. He could see the horizon somewhat ahead of him, but below the horizon stood New Tokyo-3 in the distance. He dashed even faster this time as he noticed the city ahead of him. He was ready. All he had to do was retrieve Wing Zero from NERV, for this was the only weapon in this entire separate world he had available to retaliate against Milliardo. The thought remained viral in his head. Heero was ready once and for all to perish this archenemy once and for all.

A gun shot blasted through the air! Heero paid no attention to it, and continued running. He felt he had never run so fast before. _Only a few more miles,_ he thought. Suddenly, a huge burst of pain struck his left leg! The pain felt so mighty as he placed his hand on his left thigh. It was bleeding immensely, and he immediately began applying pressure to it with his hand. He fell onto his knees, struggling to bear this pain. However, another shot rang through the air, and he could hear _and_ feel it this time. A bullet soared through his right shoulder, wounding it deeply. His strength rapidly failed on him. Heero collapsed face-up onto the forest ground. He stared upward, straight towards the starry skies that were now visible with stars.

He faintly gazed at the millions of tiny lights above him. Heero felt the stars were randomly forming a correlation he could barely identify. Was this a delusion? He couldn't figure it, as he now plummeted into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Milliardo Peacecraft (better known by his alias, Zechs Merquise) is a character and one of the two main antagonists of New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. As a military colonel under the Organization of the Zodiac, he receives the nickname "The Lightning Count" for his top of the line performances in a mobile suit. He is later to be revealed as Milliardo Peacecraft, a son of a pacifist family, but his corruptness with war leads him to become the antagonist of the show. He is the primary rival of protagonist Heero Yuy, and is best known for piloting the Tallgeese (OZ-00MS Tallgeese), the Epyon (OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon), and the Tallgeese III (Endless Waltz only; OZ-00MS2B).

**[2] **Occasionally, the Gundams are referred by their manufacturer classification. Wing Gundam is 01, Deathscythe/Hell is 02, Heavyarms/Kai is 03, Sandrock/Kai is 04, and Shenlong/Altron is 05. In this specific reference, Milliardo is referring to Duo.

**[3] **First Impact is perhaps the first ever known event to take place in the universe of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It occurred with a collision of a giant spherical object, the Black Moon, crashing into Earth approximately four billion years ago. This marked the first contact between two Seeds of Life, Adam and Lilith. First Impact is essentially the origin of the world in Evangelion.

**[4] **The Black Moon is an object of great size that crashed into Earth several billion years ago. It is a transport vessel created by the First Ancestral Race serving as the Angel's transportation. The Black Moon's collision with Earth formed the Geofront. **Lilith** is the Second Angel and the second Seed of Life on Earth. She co-exists with fellow Angel and Seed of Life, Adam, on the Earth. However, this coexistence is not, by any means, a peaceful one. Lilith serves as the root of all human life on Earth. Beginning as a state of primordial ooze, this substance led to the birth of the human race. Lilith, throughout most of the course of Neon Genesis Evangelion, is crucified to a giant cross in the deepest area of NERV Headquarters, an area known as Terminal Dogma.

**[5] **The White Moon is nearly identical to the Black Moon, but instead holding Adam, the First Angel. This and the Black Moon landed on Earth approximately four billion years ago and from then on rest below the area of Antarctica. Like the Black Moon, the White Moon had created a Geofront, but in a totally different area.

**[6] **Adam is the First Angel and one of the two Seeds of Life of Earth in the world of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Adam is the genetic basis of the Evangelion units (with the exception of Eva Unit 01, whom is said to be an offspring of Lilith.) It takes the form of a large, white giant. Like Lilith, Adam was created by the First Ancestral Race and was sent to Earth. His real role in the series occurs with the Katsuragi Expedition just before the main events of the story. In a project to make genetic contact with Adam using an object known as the Spear of Longinus, their efforts ultimately backfired and Second Impact was initiated. Adam responded in wrath. He had self-destructed, causing four "Wings of Light" spread above the stratosphere. The Katsuragi Team's failure is believed to have caused the awakening of Adam and the catastrophe known as Second Impact.

**[7] **Second Impact is a global cataclysm from the universe of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Second Impact is classified as an explosion occurring in Antarctica (the site of Adam's burial) and led to numerous other disasters following. Massive tsunamis, coastal floods, and even a shift in the Earth's global pattern were all amongst these catastrophes. Global wars also broke out as a result of this fatal pandemonium, including a nuclear weapon being detonated in Old Tokyo (the original city of Tokyo). Nearly half of the world's population was wiped out single-handedly from the chaos caused by Second Impact. This event crippled the hopes of most of humanity, hence no amount of science and technology could possibly fix. Within 15 years before the events of Evangelion, the remaining humans of Earth did all in their power to rebuild the pre-Second Impact society. Many continue to discard the trauma from the event, including Misato Katsuragi.

**[8] **OZ (Organization of the Zodiac) is a military body from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. It is the military wing of the Romefeller Foundation (an organization of involvement in world affairs) and is one of the chief enemies of the Colonies. They are led by Colonel Treize Khushrenada and Lieutenant Zechs Merquise (for a while.) As one of the antagonist groups of the five Gundam pilots, they are notorious for enforcing the abusive Romefeller Foundation on both Earth and the Colonies. OZ ceased to exist following the final battles of Gundam Wing.

**[9] **The Eve Wars is the final conflict from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. The sinister White Fang of the colonies rises and attempts to revamp Operation Meteor, the plan of mass murder upon Earth. It took the whole of OZ and the five Gundam pilots in order to defeat Milliardo and his ruthless organization.

**[10] **These were Heero's exact words from his final battle with Milliardo. This is his exact wording from episode 49, "The Final Victor."

**[11] **White Fang is a rebel organization from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. They are the primary guerilla and terrorist militant group from the series. They hope to carry out their own version of Operation Meteor, by creating a massive battleship called 'Libra,' because of their inability to execute this due to the Gundam scientists' alternative plan. Under their leader, Quinze, they wanted to punish the planet even further beyond the original plan. They offer a position of leadership to Zechs Merquise, whom then permanently assumed the title of Milliardo Peacecraft. OZ and the Gundam pilots retaliated against White Fang's extreme measures. Quinze, in a last ditch effort, sent Libra on a collision course to Earth that potentially endangered all of humanity. The remains of Libra were destroyed with the cooperation by Gundam pilots and their allies, leading to the demise of the White Fang.

**[12] **Quinze is an antagonist from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. He is the original leader of the White Fang. He had originally been a pacifist under politician Heero Yuy (the pacifist leader), but from Yuy's assassination did he seek revenge from that moment on. He is the conductor of Operation Meteor and one of the leaders of White Fang alongside Milliardo Peacecraft. He suffers his fate in an explosion when trying to kill the Gundam scientists.

*Author's Note: These footnotes took almost as long to make as the story itself. They are rather spoiler-ish, but they are meant for those readers who are not fond of either Gundam Wing, and especially Evangelion. Also, these footnotes are distinctly longer in this chapter due to a handful of events already occurring in the Evangelion and Gundam Wing universes.


	6. Chapter 06

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai, Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno, Gainax<strong>

**Chapter 1's rewrite is done. Chapter 2 and possibly 3 and 4 will also be completely rewritten along with Chapters 8, 9, etc. Check them out!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 06<strong>

"The boy is running a little behind schedule. Report, Fuyutsuki?" Gendo questioned, listening to his voice echo throughout his tremendously-sized office.

"We dispatched him at approximately 7:30 early this morning. Major Katsuragi volunteered to help him even though I advised her not to. Perhaps we should contact her at this time?" Kozo suggested.

"Hmm…" Gendo briefly hesitated, "What time it is?"

"It's 10:48. It's been about fifteen hours, I estimate." Kozo replied.

"Alright, then. I'll call her right-…"

"Report, Commander!" Misato's voice rang through the enormous space.

Gendo and Kozo could both hear her footsteps growing louder. They both looked ahead and found Misato walking forward with her head held high. She was staring at them rather nervously. Gendo noticed a sweat roll down her cheek.

"It looks like we spoke too soon." Kozo mocked.

"What is it, Major?" Gendo asked.

"H-Heero… He, um…" Misato mumbled then gulped a little.

"I didn't catch that. Can you say it a bit more clearly, Major Katsuragi?" Kozo remarked.

Misato didn't reply. She tilted her head down, struggling to lift he head back up. She stared at both of them blankly, with even more sweat running down her face. Gendo found this behavior to be embarrassing on her part. He was even more curious now to wonder why she was acting this way.

"You act like you've seen a ghost or something. Tell us now, Major. We'll never know what's on your mind unless you say something."

"I-I l-lost… F-fell into a r-r…"

"Spit it out, already!" Gendo bellowed and slammed his fist against his desk angrily. He took a deep breath and said more profoundly, "You're only embarrassing yourself more and more before me. Tell us already what's on your mind."

Misato took a slight breather, and began speaking nervously, "I-I lost Heero. He stubbornly demanded me to come with him into the woods, which we did. I followed him in for a while, then we both felt a mild earthquake when we came across a rapids. I watched him as he stumbled down into the rapids and fell to his…Supposed death. He may or may have not survived the waterfall I realized that was just up the river he was in.

Gendo scratched his chin to think. Kozo glanced down at him. The only three people in the entire room continuously looked back at one another for about a minute. Gendo's eyeglasses then flashed in front of Misato. He crossed his fingers, and looked straight towards her.

"He didn't jump, did he?"

"No, sir. It was totally by some natural occurrence." Misato replied avoiding any eye contact. She simply crossed her arms and waved her left foot slowly from side to side in front of her.

"Alright. Report back to me in the morning. In the meantime, keep that other boy that you've kept in custody locked up until further notice."

Misato looked up furiously at him. She stepped forward once and looked down at the commander with resentment.

"You don't have anything to say about the boy who supposedly lost his life, did you? Now you're gonna keep his friend locked up until he shows up? Which may or may not ever happen?"

"I never said that, Major."

"Can't you at the least send a search team out to find the boy? It's enough that we send him out on a mission on his own, but to leave him stranded out in the woods way out of the city borders? We have to at least try to give the kid a hand, couldn't we, Commander?" Misato asserted with a stronger tone in her voice.

"I'll give the order at my own will. Now if you'll excuse us, let the two of us discuss the matter." Gendo stood up with his palms planted on his desk.

"I'm begging you, Commander. I'll walk back into the woods alone if I have to. It was my fault that I didn't take responsibility of the kid, and now he's fallen into a huge pit of danger." Misato exclaimed solemnly, trying not to raise her voice any further.

"It is certainly not your fault and you acted on your own on helping the boy. We have surveillance spread out around this city. If any one of our cameras happens to find him, _we find him_." Gendo admitted.

"That's assuming he survived the waterfall…" Misato turned her head disdainfully.

"Just go home." Gendo said as he sat back in his chair and looked at Misato bitterly.

Kozo suddenly added, "Major, I think we both put enough faith into this boy to believe he'll be alright. Look at it that way."

Misato glanced back at Gendo, giving him a look of disappointment. She shook her head a little and said, "Why don't you put a little more faith into your…" She suddenly stopped and turned back around towards the exit of his office.

"Into whom, Major? I'm listening." Gendo tightened the grip of his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing." Misato made her way out of the office, not mentioning another word to the two commanders.

Her presence vanished from the room once more. Kozo looked back down at the Commander, noticing his sudden anger. Out of a little curiosity, the deputy commander asked:

"Is there a problem, Gendo?"

"Don't worry it about it, Fuyutsuki," Gendo replied and looked straight up towards Kozo, "_And that's Commander Ikari_ to you."

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that this child… You seem to…"

"I know. He may be exactly the one we may need, or the one that we must dispose of immediately." Gendo's glasses flashed as he replied.

* * *

><p>It was bright once again, probably meaning it was also morning again. He reached a little bit out in front of him to see if anything was there. Just a few moments ago, like it felt, there was a mighty rush of pain flowing through his body. He didn't feel it anymore for some reason. Straight above him was the bright blue sky once again. He had been lying down on something more solid this time, made of wood. He took a moment to feel this structure he was lying on. A moment later, he regained his sight nearly completely. He had been lying on a bench.<p>

Heero stretched his entire body upward with his hand tightly held against his head. He was at that exact same park – and the same park bench – from yesterday where Misato had found him. This was mysterious, he thought. He took a look at his legs, first, and they were free of wounds. _Free of wounds_? He noticed this to be even more mysterious. Just last night, he remembered clearly of the two bullet holes that pierced through his body. He observed his right shoulder and left thigh, the two places he was positive he got hit in. He was completely in awe what he just saw, nothing. It was as if the wound wasn't there to begin with. The bullet hole on his jeans were the only proof that he was shot the previous night.

He rose from the bench and got onto his feet. His vision was still a bit distorted, so he kept his hand latched onto his forehead. Up ahead of him, he saw a little bit of the skyline of Tokyo-3, but not far behind it was a mountain. There was something peculiar resting on that mountain, however. Heero widened his eyes as he slowly moved forward. He then went from walking to jogging towards the direction of the mountain, but like the night before, it was tough getting through the crowds of people.

Heero pushed his way through many more people, many of them scowling at him. He came to a stop next to a souvenir stand, when suddenly he came across a four-way intersection flooded with people crossing the streets. This felt a little hopeless trying to get to the very edge of the city, he thought. He looked to his left, noticing a huge rack of binoculars. He could take one and try to get a better view of the odd figure he felt he saw.

There was a woman dusting off shelves and adding a few accessories to the shelves. She was definitely in charge of this place. He ducked down out of the store clerk's vision, and he swiped a pair away. He immediately scurried off before she could notice him.

He found himself in an alley in between what appeared to be two apartment complexes. There were ladders attached to the walls of the various apartments, leading way up to the roof. Heero thought the best way to get a shot of the figure on the mountains would be to get as high as possible. In an instant, he sprung onto one of the ladders, working his way up the building. He kept climbing up this building - appearing to be about sixteen stories high - until he finally reached the top of the roof.

This apartment complex, luckily, had a flat roof. He made his way towards the very edge of the building in the direction of that mountain, raising the binoculars over his eyes. Heero could now see a little bit better, although the mountain was still pretty far away.

The figure he noticed from earlier was much bigger in sight now, and he could now distinguish its peculiar color from the rest of the blue-greenish tint of the mountain. It was red - a dark shade of red - and appeared to have a humanoid figure. He lowered the binoculars for a moment, trying to figure out what this could be. He took another look through the lenses, but this time he discovered it was holding something, a whip. The whip it was holding looked like it matched the colors of the figure itself. Suddenly, something struck Heero's mind upon finding it wielding a whip.

"It's a mobile suit, definitely..." Heero murmured to himself as he lowered the binoculars to think again. This sparked another idea, and Heero raised the binoculars again. He distinguished the features of this mobile suit down even further now that he knew this fact. It was red, wielded a whip, and now he realized its large, crimson wings. Heero finally concluded...This was the Gundam Epyon**[1]**.

Heero finally remembered from the night before: Milliardo was going to siege the city alongside White Fang if he had not accepted his offering of a duel. Heero peeked through the binoculars one last time, searching for a clock around the city. When he had finally found one, it read 10:13 AM. He was_ late. _Zechs had told him the night before to meet after dawn, but Heero failed to do so.

"Damn it..." Heero whispered to himself. He took the binoculars in his hand and flung them over his head, falling down the tall building. He clenched his fist in anger for a brief moment. He recalled being shot back in the woods - by one of Milliardo's henchmen - proving his disloyalty in the challenge. Heero questioned his honor as a soldier right now, attempting to wound his opponent before a well-planned conflict. He shut his eyes, thinking of Milliardo and his selfish act. He then turned around back towards the mountain, glaring towards the site he was ambushed.

_Heero?_

Heero was distracted from his anger when he suddenly heard the mysterious girl's voice again. He peered around the area, hoping to find her. There were a few people on the roofs of their buildings, but mostly businessmen and other residents of their respective apartment homes. His eyes slid across one that was rather light and pale over one roof. This caught his attention. He gasped and immediately turned towards that same roof, but there was nothing there this time.

"I have to return to NERV right now... If he's going to settle the score with me with one more duel, he'll get one." Heero said solemnly to himself.

He tried to take his mind off of the girl completely now. He dashed towards the opposite edge of the building - the one where he climbed up - and immediately leaped down the several platforms he used to get up. The moment he reached the bottom of the alley, he scanned the area for where he was going. Finally, without hesitation, he dashed head-on through the city towards his destination: NERV Headquarters.

* * *

><p>"The boy if awfully late showing up, don't you think?" Quinze asked his leader, standing right beside him upon the peak of the mountain.<p>

"I gave him quite enough time. I told him to meet me here right after dawn, but he doesn't seem to be acknowledging this condition...at all." Milliardo said under his breath.

"Well, are we going to attack or not?" Quinze asked.

Milliardo turned to him, "I don't see why we're holding back now. I've kept this old toy standing here long enough to serve as a warning," he turned back watching the Epyon, "If Heero can't duel me for one last time with mobile suits, I think I'll display to him the horror of his final moments back in After Colony 196."

"You never fail to impress me, Mr. Milliardo." Quinze said and stared directly towards the city in front of them.

They've been waiting almost all morning, awaiting for just one person to arrive in their presence. Milliardo waited patiently all this time with no sleep, vitalizing himself for the moment Heero would step up and challenge him once and for all. Now they stand behind the battle-worn Gundam Epyon, or at least what still stands of it after the long-fought Eve Wars.

"I still think that mobile suit holds significance." Milliardo remarked, closing his eyes softly and taking in a slight breath.

"Well of course it does. It certainly is a prized artifact of war. The Epyon's brilliance outshines the thousands of other mobile suits on the battlefield. It serves as the key to our revolution, does it not?"

Milliardo turned his back to Quinze and faced towards the forest. The wing blew a strong breeze, causing the trees to sway smoothly from side to side and Milliardo's long, silvery blonde hair to flow with the gust.

"It's not even that. I haven't felt this way about Epyon before. It's only now that I can't even pilot the Gundam anymore that I realize it's been apart of me this whole time." Milliardo responded. Quinze returned to him a confused look.

"You mean to say you weren't planning on dueling Heero Yuy with your own mobile suit?" Quinze said. Milliardo did not respond with a single word, but only slightly shot a brief look towards him.

"I am a fool sometimes, Quinze. I really am. Suppose I told you that since the beginning that I only wanted to kill the boy in cold blood. Would I retain my honor has a soldier?" Quinze looked at him more confused this time. Milliardo already knew that he was already questioning his attitude.

"Isn't that what war is all about, Mr. Milliardo? Soldiers are killed everyday and the one who kills them has to move on because the same thing will just keep getting repeated until war is put to an end." Quinze stated.

"Again, it's more than just mere killing. I don't feel like I've ever engaged in war for the sake of revenge – against one person. I believe when it comes down to that, then my purpose for igniting a war is just…Selfish of me."

"Why are you showing me this attitude right now, Mr. Milliardo? Not long after we arrived here, you were upright about coming here to seek revenge on Heero Yuy and his companion. Now you're questioning it right before you face him?" Quinze retorted and looked towards Milliardo, "Tell me this instant what's caused you to question your motives?"

Milliardo turned directly towards Quinze, appearing to be straightforward this time. He stared straight into his co-leader's eyes, with a hint of fury in them.

"You should already know by now that I only live now to kill Heero. I've followed him all this way here to do so. Why else do you think I would revive my own army with my powers? I've brought the war over to this world to prove to him that he can't escape the one horror that originally tore our world apart." Milliardo declared strictly at Quinze.

"You're supposed to be a god of war, no?" Quinze took off his glasses briefly, "You know more than I do how wars are started. It begins with a small conflict, but then grows into a disease that is a nearly unstoppable epidemic! For you, you're here for your revenge on the boy, and _that _is why you're here! That's why _we're _here!" Quinze countered. Milliardo paused and did not say a word for a moment. He straightened himself a little bit and replied more calmly:

"For the first time in all my years as a young soldier, I wonder if I can even call this a war that I brought upon. It is a _massacre_. What I only hope to do to one boy, I'm doing to an entire population." Milliardo said. Quinze finally came to question him about Heero.

"What is your grudge on the boy, anyway? Do tell me." Quinze asked. Milliardo didn't reply and only turned around, heading back towards the woods. Quinze was frustrated, "For God's sake, Mr. Milliardo! What is it exactly?" Milliardo stopped.

"I want to settle the score with him after victory was handed to him at the end of the war…" Milliardo murmured and started walking again. Quinze was even more infuriated and he stepped up closer to him.

"Is that _really_ your reason for seeking revenge on the boy? That's utter filth if you've revived your forces in order to regain your glory! Do you hear me, Mr. Milliardo?" Quinze bellowed.

Milliardo did not respond again. He swiped his rapier – impaled in the ground – and gripped it by his side. For a moment, he swung it swiftly in front of him with several quick yet powerful swipes. He then held it firmly in front of him, observing the blade very closely. He held the handle against his chest, keeping his eyes completely shut.

* * *

><p>Heero finally made his way through the prolonged escalator leading all the way down to the Geofront. He seemed exhausted, having sprinted several kilometers to get there. Already within headquarters, he leaned against one of the walls, panting heavily. He took a look at the clock across the hallway which he could barely see. He seemed relieved.<p>

"Ten minutes…More than enough time to mount an army." Heero said and slammed his fist against the wall, pushing him back on his feet. He took a breather for a few moments to try to think about his next move. _If I don't have any power right now to defeat Zechs, I have to retrieve my Gundam. I can take it back, but I need to tell this Commander to let me do so._ Trying not to limp, he jogged a little across the hallway. Many NERV guards looked at him awkwardly, wondering why he was in such shape.

Heero paused in the middle of the hallway upon passing a map of the area much similar to the one he saw the day before. _B-20_. That was the level he had remembered along with _Central Dogma_. He was now more familiar with the layout of this enormous headquarters. He now scanned the strange hexagonal map again, but then laid eyes on the part reading "Command Center**[2]**." _There it is_, Heero thought.

He immediately dashed once more using the nearly last of his energy. Several members of NERV staff kept colliding in his path, but he tried to ignore their presence altogether. Heero recognized one corner where he should turn left that would likely lead to the Command Center.

Suddenly, another person from around the corner crashed into him! He fell on his rear end, but immediately got a glimpse of this person he bumped into, whom appeared a tall woman lying down on her back. Heero stood up a little and noticed it was just Misato, gazing at the ceiling dizzily.

"Misato…?" Heero asked a little embarrassingly.

"Who, wha…?" Misato said rather bemused, "Heero, no! Don't drown… Imgonasaveyou…" Heero looked at her a little disgusted and grabbed her wrist. _I didn't even bump into her that hard_, he thought. Slowly, he helped her up on her feet. She was wobbling a little bit from side to side, so he tried to straighten her position with his own hands so she would stop swaying. She finally stood still after a few seconds.

"What's going on…?" Heero grudgingly asked.

"Theboyfellintoariver… Ihadtosavethekid…" Misato still appeared to be nauseated, especially in the head as she continued to spin her head around. Heero grumbled a little and gave her a slight smack across the face. Misato jumped, stopped swaying, and roared at him, "WHO DARES!" Misato realized it was just Heero standing in front of him, returning to her a look of annoyance. She inhaled deeply and covered her mouth with her hands, "H-Heero?" She whispered.

"What was that all abou-…?" Heero couldn't finish what he was saying when all of a sudden she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I was so worried about you! I thought you were dead!" Misato said and began to tear. Heero stepped back a little bit, trying to escape her embrace.

"Yes, I am alive. What are you so surprised about?" Heero replied. Misato shot a look of disappointment at him for his attitude despite her relief. Heero continued, "Please take me to the Command Center."

"What do you need to be there for?" Misato asked as she bent over to pick up some of the papers she dropped when she crashed into Heero. Heero looked down and noticed she had also dropped a can of beer. She noticed him looking at her in pity, but she blushed a little bit and grinned a bit, "Heh… I had to get my mind off the whole 'you falling into rapids and losing your whole life' thing." She stood up straight awaiting his answer.

"I was completely right when I told you I felt a notion coming from the woods. I saw exactly what it was, and its heading straight towards the city as we speak." Heero explained.

Misato gasped, "There was? Are they in any way linked to the attack from nights ago?"

"They were exactly what you just saw. What you saw days ago was only a warning, but now they're releasing an all-out siege. They have an army and a man wielding the powers of a god behind them. I've seen them all with my own eyes, these mounting forces. I've come to retrieve my Gundam in order to fight back."

"Are you for real?" Misato countered. Heero looked directly in her eyes and felt a circulating pattern of fear and pity coming from her stare. He glared at her back, standing sternly in his place. He let his stare express his anger right now, convincing Misato that he and Duo are in no way responsible for the attacks on the city. He hoped to persuade her, too, that the best chance they had against them was lending him Wing Zero once again. A whole minute passed by, and Misato finally answered, "Alright, kid. I'm gonna have to have some proof that these guys exist. In the meantime, however, come along with me."

Misato finally turned around and made her way through the hallway. Heero followed, crossing his arms and walking upright to prepare for a possible confrontation with the authorities, particularly the _Commander_. They made their way through the long hallways, but it wasn't long until Heero realized he wasn't far from arriving at the Command Center. They entered the room from behind, supposedly.

Heero found himself in another room, much darker and bigger than most of the other areas he's been through in NERV Headquarters. The shape of the room was hard to recognize, but there were various display screens and holograms scattered across the boundaries of the room as well as within. It appeared to be one enormous militaristic operations room for the city, possibly this entire portion of Japan. He already felt astounded at the vast technology possibly superior to that of After Colony 196.

"Aoba**[3]**! Run a scan throughout the surveillance in the northern district of the city and as further northward as you can! Maya, take the south and look around Lake Ashinoko**[4]**!" Misato commanded at the top of her voice.

"We're on it!" A man with long black hair and a woman with short brown hair simultaneously said. He noticed three people stationed at respective computer desks on a somewhat lower level of this area - two men and one woman. Heero remembered this woman who was sitting at one of the computers a little below the platform they were on. Maya turned her head towards him for a moment, smiled, and waved at him. Heero didn't respond back, as she resumed her work immediately.

Misato stopped in the middle of this gigantic room. Heero took a moment to observe the place a little more. He could barely see over the layers of railing, but he could tell that this room was divided into many levels. This part of the Command Center must've been the utmost level of this area.

Heero noticed Kozo abruptly walking into the scene from the side, looking directly at Misato, "Major Katsuragi, what's the meaning of calling a sudden order?" Kozo looked in front of her and noticed Heero standing at her side. He didn't return a look and continued gazing towards the enormous video screen of a wall in front of him.

Misato strictly turned towards Kozo, "Apparently Heero thinks he found something in his investigation of the city. I don't know whether to trust the kid or not but I definitely want to make sure of anything suspicious."

"Heero?" Kozo looked at him now and in a mocking tone, "So you are alive, hm? We were just about to pronounce you dead after a report by some of _our staff_." Heero shot at him a brief yet furious look, but immediately resumed his attention forward. Kozo looked at him more sternly this time, "You don't seem to be very bright this morning. What's up?"

"Where is your Commander?" Heero said intently.

"There's nothing down south, Major!" Maya suddenly announced.

"I found something up north, though!" The long black haired man, Aoda, shouted.

"Put it up on screen! Lets get a full view of this!" Misato commanded. The giant screen on the wall in front of them now depicted a humongous live clip of a mountain. Heero recognized this mountain, it was the exact same one where he spotted the Epyon - and it was standing right there in the video. They each gazed at the odd red object standing in the midst of the mountain. Misato commented, "What on Earth is that thing?"

Kozo took his attention away from the image and glanced at Heero, "You know this?" Heero glared at him in return.

"Holy hell, what's that!" One of the men at the three computer stations shot out of his seat and pointed straight towards the scene.

Heero couldn't believe what he was laying his eyes upon now. Just behind the Epyon, a very large and shadowy figure arose from the peak of the mountain. It appeared to be much, much larger than the Gundam, but it was still too blurry for him to see. He could tell, however, it was holding a sword - a long and deadly-looking rapier. Within a split-second, it completely severed the Epyon into two pieces with a quick swipe of its sword! The Gundam exploded in an instant, but the camera could see through the cloud of smoke the explosion made. Heero noticed several more figures dashing down the mountain coming from around the extremely tall figure. He knew very well that they could not be anything but mobile suits.

The tall figure approached the city now. As it came closer in sight on camera, Heero and the rest of the NERV staff within the room could see it better. It looked very clear now. This figure was humanoid and was completely colored black. It appeared to have metallic armor plating of royalty on it, particularly around the torso and leg area, but it looked more so to be apart of its body rather than armor. Its rapier held more detail now. Its handle was gold-trimmed, and the blade gleamed a shiny silver radiance from it. What Heero found most distinctive of all was its hair - long and silvery white. There was no doubt about it. _It was Zechs, taking the form of a demon_.

Heero's heart raced. Upon seeing Milliardo as a titanic beast, the hallucinations struck his mind one after another. He nearly collapsed to his knees, trying to regain his memories of AC 196. They were cluttering his thoughts and tormenting his mind for another time. He could see it better now - a city upon fire with a giant black figure laying his wrath upon the burning world.

"Heero, what's the matter?" Misato leaned in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Heero shrugged off her palms immediately and looked towards Kozo demandingly.

"Show me to your Commander _right now_." Heero insisted.

"The Commander will see you only if he wishes to. Now be patient while we-..."

"That's enough, Commander Fuyutsuki. I'll take command from here on out." A deep and solemn voice could be heard from the room. Heero tried to trace the source of this voice, but found nobody. He then heard the sound of footsteps - the only sound ringing through the Command Center at the moment - rooting from a more upper layer of this room. He looked upward as the footsteps stopped, now looking upon a tall, mildly bearded man with glasses reflecting a glare towards him. Unable to see this man's eyes, he looked straight down at Heero, "Good morning, Heero Yuy. I'm glad you've made it all the way back here. It's not surprising to me at all."

"You must be the Commander." Heero said, planting his feet on the ground and glaring straight up at him. Misato and Kozo stepped back and simply watched the two.

"That, I am. Commander Ikari is the name you may refer to me at this time. You'll learn more in the future with your time in NERV."

Heero put more power into his voice this time, "You should've heard me before. I don't wish at all to be apart of your damn organization. My only request to you right now is to let my friend go, _and_ our Gundams. We need to retaliate right now or else..."

"I'm sure you won't need your friend to handle this situation. Also, my apologies, Heero, but you won't be able to use those pitiful machines against this threat right now." The Commander rejoined. Heero stepped forward, enraged.

"What?" Heero muttered and stepped forward again. Misato and another NERV guard restrained him from behind, causing him to force himself to calm down.

"I should've told you earlier, Heero... The Gundams are nearly totaled from what happened with Eva Unit 02. Under direct orders, they've been put in their own confinements." Heero was provoked even more when Misato said so. She continued, "We have another option available for you. Though... You're probably not gonna like it if I told you."

"I couldn't have said it any better myself, Major." The Commander grinned, "I can already tell you're not going to like me in the future. However, onto business, I offer you the opportunity to-..."

"You think I'm not going to like you?" Heero interrupted angrily, "You keep my friend in confinement for a misdeed he didn't commit! You immediately accuse us of the threat demolishing your precious city! You deprive me of the necessary tools to accomplish a dangerous task!" Heero returned to a calmer tone, "Now I hear news of locking away the Gundams. I refuse to trust you with another 'opportunity.'"

"Should you know that every teenager in the world would love to grab the chance of a lifetime I'm offering you now?" The Commander said as he removed the grin from his face.

"No."

"So you do not want to pilot Evangelion Unit 01, do you?" The Commander stated.

"No."

Maya stood up and implored loudly, "You can't just throw him in an Eva Unit, Commander! We all know it isn't that easy! The boy hasn't been chosen to be one of the children**[5]**! You're aimlessly throwing a child into a ring with no experience! Do you think-?"

"Silence!" The Commander retorted, "This has been a decision on my own made before. I propose this challenge onto the boy right now. Perhaps he can surpass every other pilot we've had for all we know, seeing as none of them are available at the moment."

"Where are they, anyway?" Aoba asked, "We can find them. Shinji, Rei, somebody call for them right now!" He turned to the staff directly in front of his station, but the Commander halted them immediately by raising his hand. He returned his attention to the core staff, "Asuka, she's probably up in the city... But please, spare the kid, Commander, and let us go with our main options!"

"No. I will call for no such action." He hastily replied, "Let's just see how this boy does." The room went absolutely silent as everyone had stared at Heero.

"Heero, think about this for a moment." Misato added, "You already know about the monster out there, do you?" Heero nodded in reply. Misato nodded back, "Have you faced him before?"

"Yes."

"In your Gundam?"

"Yes..." Heero was struck all of a sudden. He gathered the image, this time, of fighting the titan, Milliardo, with Wing Zero. He did not remember, however, if he succeeded or failed. He couldn't pick up the last piece of this recollection, "Though... I don't remember if I could even defeat him with it."

"Which is why now you should take up the chance to pilot the Eva Unit. You should know more than anyone in this room what possible chances we have against this new menace. You call the shots, boy." Commander Ikari fixed his glasses and continued staring down at him.

"And use the unit you used to destroy my friend and I..." Heero tilted his head downward in deep thought. He remembered the Eva Unit very well. He would be piloting the machine that nearly destroyed Wing Zero and Deathscythe Hell in battle.

"Well, this isn't a time to be thinking revenge. I expected much more from you, Heero. To think you've come this far to defeat an enemy of yours, you're now only considering your anger towards us. Perhaps I set these limits on you for a reason, young man. I'm offering you the ultimate chance of defeating a menace as large as the one you see up on that screen." Heero took one brief look behind him at the screen, noticing that Milliardo and his mobile suit army have progressed even further. Commander Ikari added again, "You may vent whatever anger you have on me after this one fight. Do what you would think to do best. Would you walk into battle concentrating on the enemy at mind or before you with a sword?"

Heero stared directly at the ground. He just could not fight a battle with a machine that nearly destroyed the mobile suit that made apart of him. This wasn't Wing Zero, and was not even a mobile suit. This would be a totally different machine from another world that he had no knowledge of. The Commander was right, however. Heero chose at last to forget his grudge towards the Commander, and was now focused on defeating the enemy most crucial at this moment - Milliardo.

"I'll do it." Heero said.

Without hesitation, Commander Ikari commanded, "Major Katsuragi, take him immediately to the Eva pen. Prepare the boy into the entry plug**[6]** this instant."

Misato did not say a word. She walked ahead of him back into the hallway, and beckoned Heero to follow him. He did so, not caring whatever direction he was going. He had his head down almost the entire walk, wherever she was leading him. A few minutes passed, and they came to a stop. Heero heard a large, sliding door open. It was dark and it cast a shadow on him. They both walked inside, but all that Heero could see are two huge green eyes. The room lighted slowly, and he finally laid his eyes upon the Eva Unit - much like the one from days before. Its facial structure was different, had a long horn extending on its forehead, and rather than orange, it took on a dark violet color. It was standing before a platform that he and Misato were standing on, and appeared to stare at them both with its sharp, bright green eyes.

"Here we are, Heero." Misato silently said, "Its time we get you ready."

* * *

><p>Heero scanned the peculiar layout of this 'entry plug.' The cockpit was certainly nothing like the Gundam's. It appeared to be more simple – with foot pedals and two prime hand controls. There was no real control panel displaying all the statistics of the unit, either. It seemed awkward to him to be piloting a totally different machine, especially one much similar to the one that tried to kill him before. However, he felt a strange feeling arousing him since the moment he entered the entry plug, or the Evangelion for that matter. There was someone else in the same seat of the cockpit right now, possibly, but he couldn't lay his hand on it. That wasn't even it, he thought.<p>

"Commence LCL**[7]** injection into the plug." Ritsuko said through what he assumed to be the communicator within this entry plug.

His feet suddenly felt a little wet, but after a quick second he felt completely drowned in some sort of liquid! He shut his mouth with the palm of his hand, trying not to drink any of the fluid. _Hold on a moment_. Heero could feel a breath being inhaled. He took his hand off his mouth, and noticed he was breathing normally.

Misato giggled a little bit behind the Command Center PA, "That's the typical surprise we expected from you, Heero. This substance we just filled the entry plug with is fluent with oxygen. You won't have to worry about drowning while you're up against the enemies up there. Though…The smell afterwards is a different story."

_Connect to the main power supply! Transmit power to all circuits! The second contact is beginning. The connection of the A10-nerve is operational!_

"Initiate synchronization!" Ritsuko shouted.

Heero sat quietly as the NERV staff did their work. Suddenly, there was a drastic change in the background of this cockpit! He gazed downward, retaining his blank expression, noticing his surroundings shift four times – rainbow, rainbow with glitter, glitter, glitter within a red environment, and a peculiar image with numerous holes that Heero couldn't interpret.. The changing stopped. Heero stationed himself against the cockpit seat, closing his eyes in preparation to finally confront Milliardo.

"All initial contacts are successful. Report, Maya?" Ritsuko said. There was a long pause after this. Heero remained quiet and listened.

"T-this is not good – at all! Harmonics**[8]** are below normal and his synchronization**[9]** rate fluctuates around the low ten percentage and just keeps failing! Heero just can't synch with the Eva!"

"What's the meaning of this, then?" Kozo interrupted as he approached the monitors displaying the Eva's statistics, "We don't have much time left on our hands. If the boy cannot pilot the Evangelion then we might as well do our best to tank whatever is going on in the surface!"

"I told you all we should've just returned to him the Gundam! It might not stand a chance against the colossus that's leading this army right now but did you really think he could operate an Eva on his first try?" Misato argued in a demanding tone.

"Shinji was able to synch and co-operate with the Eva perfectly fine on his first try, was he not?" Commander Ikari from the highest base of the Command Center announced.

"You're forgetting the one huge factor in synchronizing with the Eva, Commander!" Ritsuko retorted angrily, "You see, Heero has no chance of synching with Eva Unit 01. Why Shinji was able to do so was because-…"

"I don't care. Send me in this instant…" Heero murmured. The entire Command Center could hear him, and his words seemed to ring through the entire headquarters of NERV. Heero raised his head and spoke louder this time, "I'll admit to you all now that it's my fault. I brought the fight into your world, and I'll do all in my power to stop these invaders as long as you give me the tools to fight them with. You may have deprived me of my friend, and my Gundam may be dysfunctional, but now that this Evangelion is my last option, I'm _taking it_. Let me kill the one behind all this – the man named Zechs Merquise – or stand back and witness the same terror I faced in the last moments of my world."

The entire staff of NERV was silent. They simply stared at the image of Heero within the entry plug, with him not displaying a sign of any anger or emotion. Heero was fully prepared now. He had discarded all of his hatred, his guilt, and his sorrow of the world away in order to encounter his nemesis a final time.

"You're going to fail, Heero. With synchronization that poor, see how long you can last out there in a battle you can't hope to win." Commander Ikari had told him. The staff within the Command Center all turned to him, while Misato stood in her spot blankly staring at Heero.

Heero turned his head a little, facing the projector of the NERV Command Center, "Roger that."

The NERV staff looked at Heero once more. Ritsuko prepared an order, but turned her attention left to Misato for a moment and noticed her friend whispering to herself: _He's not gonna fail. He's not gonna fail. _She looked back forward, and blinked.

"Release both lock bolts this instant! Send Unit 01 to launching pad immediately upon completion!"

The projector of the Command Center vanished. Heero could only feel and hear what was going on in this large room holding the Evangelion now. He closed his eyes once again, preparing for the worst to come. His mind was completely clear now of all his grievances of the universe around him. He could feel the Eva shake slightly, possibly coming from attachments to the unit's power supply. Suddenly, he felt the movement of the machine progressing backwards. Heero grasped the two handles within the cockpit.

"Launch!" Kozo shouted.

Heero suddenly felt himself be elevated upward at extreme speeds! He was being propelled by something, possibly flinging the entire unit up at jet-fast speeds. He opened his eyes a little bit to get a glimpse of his environment right now. The entry plug was no longer completely dark, but this time it seemed to be camouflaging with the outside world. He could see where he was going – some sort of elevator blasting him upwards. It instantly became bright and he cold see the blue sky and the whole city of Tokyo-3.

He was above the ground now, standing tall over the city. There was an unwelcoming surprise already up here, however, which was no longer a surprise to him upon seeing the monster that Milliardo has taken the form of just a couple of kilometers in front of him. The city had already become the fortress he saw days before, but it was already half destroyed by the invading army. He was surrounded by dozens of mobile suits – various Virgos and Taurus**[10]** – all aiming their beam rifles**[11]** towards him. Heero and the Evangelion were now the prime highlight in this waltz.

He moved his hand slightly upward, when suddenly he realized the Evangelion's hand moved a little along with his. His eyes widened in the smooth movement of the Evangelion with his own movements, and began waving his hands mildly up and down to experiment. This gave him almost a perfect idea how this machine worked – just like a motion sensor. He smirked grimly, and took a step forward within the Eva. However, the Evangelion suddenly tripped over and fell on its knees! Heero grabbed a hold of the ground with his palms, trying to recover from this rather heavy fall. However, at the same time he looked out of the entry plug, and realized the mobile suits were now firing at him! His body was stinging all over, and eventually it grew to mild pain. A minute passed and the pain simply grew. The Eva was being shot at helplessly by numerous surrounding mobile suits, being pelted by dozens of beams colliding with it from all directions!

"Damn it… I just couldn't pilot this machine. It just won't accept me... Damn it all!" Heero whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>[1] Epyon (OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon) is a mobile suit from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. Manufactured by Treize Khushrenada of OZ, this Gundam is built for powerful close-range combat. Like the Gundam Wing Zero, this unit holds the notorious ZERO System, hence it has the capability of intruding the pilot's mind. The first pilot of the Epyon is Heero Yuy, being provided the Gundam by Treize, himself. The unit is also a symbol of the White Fang, as it is most famously used by Milliardo Peacecraft.<p>

[2] The Command Center is the central operations room of NERV Headquarters. Consisting of various levels and tiers of operation, all orders towards NERV staff and Tokyo-3 root directly from this room.

[3] Shigeru Aoba is a recurring character from Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is one of the three main computer technicians at NERV Headquarters, alongside Maya Ibuki and Makoto Hyuga. He is recognized by his kind and laid-back personality as well as being a guitar player as his personal hobby.

[4] Lake Ashinoko is the lake lying south of Tokyo-3. It has been the site of various battles with the Angels and has even been destroyed multiple times. It's a notable spot throughout the series and is seen in various scenes.

[5] Children is the term referring to the fourteen year old pilots of the Eva units. The term does not have too strong a meaning, but simply refers to the pilots in order of selection (Rei is the First Child; Asuka is the Second Child; Shinji is the Third Child; etc.) It is thought the Eva pilots are chosen through a committee known as the Marduk Instutute, but is proven by Ryoji Kaji to be false and the selection is done by NERV. It is still unclear how the pilots are chosen.

[6] The entry plug is a capsule-shaped object that contains the cockpit of the Evangelion Unit. Via a loading mechanism, the entry plug is inserted into the spinal area of the Eva Unit, and afterwards fixes itself within the torso of the Eva. In some instances, the pilot can casually enter the entry plug without problems. Shinji Ikari, for example, takes advantage of boarding the entry plug manually throughout the series.

[7] LCL is an amber-colored, translucent liquid that floods the entry plug of an Eva Unit. This substance allows the Eva pilot to mentally link with their Eva Unit. LCL also allows the pilot to breath while inside of the Evangelion (liquid breathing.) It directly links the pilot's nervous system to the nervous system of the Evangelion, determining the synch ratio between the pilot and the Eva.

[8] Harmonics is a series of tests towards synchronization in an Eva Unit. Tests are conducted throughout the series, during casual occasions, in order to calculate the pilot's synch ratio with the Eva Unit.

[9] Synchronization refers to the neural connection between the Eva pilot and the Evangelion. Synchronization allows the pilot to control and move the Evangelion along with feeling what the unit feels. Synch rate is calculated through harmonics tests, hence determining the degree of synchronization the pilot has achieved. Obviously, the higher the synch rate, the better the synchronization between pilot and Eva unit is. It is also possible to achieve a synch rate exceeding 100%, as demonstrated by Shinji Ikari. Mental contamination or trauma, however, are possible dangers through synchronization. High rates of such dangers can cause the pilot overwhelming effects in his or her synch rate with the Eva Unit.

[10] Taurus (OZ-12SMS) is a mobile suit from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. It is a mass-produced mobile suit used by many factions throughout the series. It is armed with the typical armaments - beam rifles, beam cannons, beam sabers, etc. - but is vastly superior to the previous mass-produced suit, the Leo. Through the White Fang, the unit is controlled through a Mobile Doll AI system, much similar to the ZERO System.

[11] A beam rifle is a standard weapon used by various mobile suit types in the Gundam multiverse. They take many forms and shapes throughout the many different series' of Gundam, but are recognized best for their main purpose of firing powerful beams at enemy mobile suits.


	7. Chapter 07

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Looking for a beta reader. Someone knowledgeable in Evangelion, I'd prefer. Anyone interested in helping? Thanks! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 07<strong>

Inside of this colossal machine was a nightmare for Heero. He could feel the pain being taking by Eva Unit 01, sinking into his flesh and growing within time. He looked around him – the Eva Unit turning with his motions – and noticed there were at least two dozen mobile suits letting fire upon him. Up ahead of him, there was Milliardo, in the form of a monster about as large as the Eva Unit (if not, bigger.) Heero's anger from this helpless position enraged him more inside to charge into Milliardo and kill him with his bare hands. Of course, he would have to deal with his current surroundings, first.

"Heero?" Misato's voice could be heard from the cockpit.

"Loud and clear, Misato…" Heero replied, trying to avoid hiding his anguish in his tone.

"Having trouble piloting the Eva Unit, huh?" Misato said, sounding a little sarcastic.

Heero shook his head in disappointment, "Tell me something a little less obvious."

"Don't worry about it! You seem to already have gotten the walking part out of the way, right?"

Heero tried to straighten his legs a little more. The Eva Unit was standing on its feet a little better now, but Heero still struggled simply to straighten its posture completely. The Virgos and Taurus surrounding him proceeded to aim their firepower a little higher, directly onto the Eva Unit's torso. Still in great pain, he swung left to right, trying to maintain a stable stance.

"Sure." Heero replied hastily.

"Alright, good! Can you try running into the two units in front of you and pounding them away?" Misato said. Heero then looked before him and saw two Taurus with beam rifles shooting at him. He clenched his fists – the Eva Unit mimicking him – and focused his gaze on the two units in front of him.

"I'll try." Heero immediately lunged forward with his fists raised. The Eva Unit leaped forward with its fists held high, but immediately fell onto the ground once more onto its chest! Heero felt his entire body colliding with the ground, but he was still in range of the two suits in front of him for a good hit. He raised his hand and immediately swiped it in front of him! With the Eva Unit doing the identical action, it easily knocked away the mobile units and were destroyed upon colliding with nearby structures.

"You got it, Heero!" Misato joyfully said, "Try repeating the same thing the next couple times with the rest of this army!"

"It's not as easy as it looks." Heero disdainfully replied.

"Your synch ratio with the Eva Unit is in abysmal levels, and its barely enough to allow you to pilot this Eva. It's better than nothing. So please, Heero, just do your best out there! You're the only available pilot right now capable of fighting these guys!"

Heero turned his attention back to the battlefield. He blinked, and attempted to stand again with the Eva Unit. He looked leftward, finding a small troop of Taurus still firing at him. He replied to Misato, "Roger that."

The Taurus took flight and scattered in many directions across the air! Heero leaned down, picked up a building in front of him, and glanced back upward at the scattering Taurus. They were flying in his direction, still firing around the Eva. Heero flung his arm upward and released the structure he picked up! The building he threw missed two Taurus approaching him, but managed to chip a leg off one behind them, causing it to fall directly into the ground.

Three of these mobile suits were now revolving around him in random circles, shooting at him at any open spot on the Evangelion. Heero tried swinging his arms around, hoping to land a hit on one of them with luck. The Eva Unit then failed to hit any of them. The Taurus gathered in front of him, and simultaneously fired a shot from their beam rifles towards him! The blast was so strong, when the Evangelion was hit, Heero fell backwards and crashed into several buildings behind him!

"Damn it…" Heero murmured to himself. He kicked his leg out, hitting a Virgo in front of him and destroying it. The other mobile suits took flight and continued firing at him.

* * *

><p>"Eva Unit 01's damage is soaring to perilous levels! If this keeps up for the next couple minutes, Heero will be in danger!" Aoba shouted from within the Command Center.<p>

"He's gonna have to hang in there a lot longer if he really wants to take on that mortal enemy of his." Misato replied.

Ritsuko turned towards Misato, taking her attention off the current battle, "Major Katsuragi, don't you see yet? Heero may be fit enough to pilot the Eva Unit but the current conditions right now are only gonna get him killed!"

"Don't you all see that this is our only chance now? Rei and Shinji had the same kind of troubles when they first piloted their Eva Units, so why can't one other boy do the same?"

"It's as if the boy were destined to die within the Evangelion…" Ritsuko said, clenching her fists and looking downward.

"Will you shut up, please? We have to put a little more faith in Heero right now! He won't have to pilot an Eva again, but please just give him this opportunity to save us from the incoming danger!"

"Had he not come to this world, in the first place, would he even be putting his life in danger by piloting a machine that could possibly kill him with all its pressure?" Kozo added, looking sternly at Misato.

Misato paused for a moment without replying to his question. She looked towards the battle right now of Heero being pummeled by several smaller robots. The mobile suits had the upper hand this entire battle, and Heero seemed perfectly helpless from the minute he was launched into action. She turned back to Kozo.

"You may be right… The kid needs this moment of redemption, though." Misato said and stared directly towards the front of the Command Center.

* * *

><p>Heero managed to destroy three more mobile suits with another low kick. There were still even more going about the city, hiding in the most unpredictable of locations and popping out to open fire on the Evangelion. He heard an explosion coming from his left shoulder! He realized a part of the Eva Unit's shoulder was blown off by the firepower of the mobile suits. Meanwhile, another suit was approaching him at high velocities! Heero threw his hand in front of him, and knocked the Virgo straight into the ground! He immediately went to embrace his left shoulder, trying to contain the pain.<p>

"Heero, you there?" Misato exclaimed from the Command Center.

"Loud and clear."

"I recall you saying you were a soldier, right? You probably know more about guns than all of us do, I hope."

"Sure."

"I'm sending you a weapon called the Pallet Gun**[1]**! Works like your typical assault rifle from back home! Check out the cache closest to you, and you should find it there!" Misato announced.

Heero looked around, and noticed one of the nearby structures was now an open container! Inside of it, Heero noticed there was a greenish assault rifle-type weapon – almost as big as a small house – awaiting him to take and wield it. He dashed towards this large weapon cache – still being pelted by constant mobile suit fire – and immediately grabbed it from the container. He turned around, taking aim at about eight mobile suits in range, and immediately pulled the triggers of the cockpit controls. The Evangelion began firing this gun at the wave of suits in front of him! With his own firepower, he now witnessed about five of the suits being hit by the ammunition and destroyed instantly. He then crouched to avoid any further enemy fire as the suits went into hiding to avoid him.

"Nice shot, kid! How does piloting your first Eva Unit feel now?" Misato asked merrily.

"Fine." Heero lied. He noticed it was still very difficult just to shoot, run, and hide. As his arm moved leftward a little, the Eva Unit responded by moving barely. He began to fear that this would harm him in the long run.

There wasn't a radar in this machine that Heero knew of. He was used to the Gundam's system of tracking down enemies through radar, but he remembered that the Evangelion was meant for combating the monsters that they call Angels, not mobile suits. He remained in this position, crouched behind a medium-sized building and awaiting another enemy unit to pop up. Finally, he was not under direct enemy fire in this position.

He took a moment to think. _Is it really this painful to undergo piloting an Eva Unit? Their firepower just feels so real._ Heero looked around this empty cockpit, with no other souls but him. He knew he had been taking plenty of hits from these mobile suits, but the pain was far greater than he had imagined. They were all much smaller than the Evangelion, and were only mere pallet shots. _Could this be from the low synch ratio? _Heero hypothesized this and found it accurate, actually.

After a minute of waiting, he was able to lock onto about three more mobile suits and destroy them with a few rounds from his Pallet Gun. When the building he was currently concealing behind was eventually destroyed by incoming fire, he approached the next building in front of him – slightly smaller – and took cover behind it.

He waited a few more minutes for another suit to attack him. However, another vital thought hit him. _Where was Zechs this entire time?_ Heero was too concentrated on the battle with the much smaller mobile suits that he forgot about Milliardo's presence. He wasn't in sight right now, that was for sure. Perhaps he was only waiting for him to finish off his army first?

_Pawns go first, Heero._

It just happened to hit him – another voice ringing through his head. He already knew it was Milliardo's, rather than the girl who had been telepathically communicating with him since his arrival in this world.

He took his mind off of that when suddenly four Virgos armed with beam sabers leaped over him! They each latched onto the Evangelion's body, trying to keep a firm grip on it. They were much heavier for Heero than they were for the Eva Unit. He tried shaking them off, but it did him no good as they were also attempting to impale their beam sabers into the unit's armor. Grunting, he struggled to stand up, hoping he could knock them off better in a standing position.

There were two Virgos grasping onto the Eva's lower half, and he kicked away the one on his leg and brushed off the one on his belly with a quick swipe of his hand. He felt a rather large gush of pain from his chest, indicating only that the Virgo succeeded in slicing through the Eva with its beam saber. Even worse, he noticed a small stream of blood flowing down his left cheek! Trying to take his mind off the growing pain he was feeling, he brushed the blood off his face and returned his attention to the battlefield. Collapsing onto the ground, he knocked off the other two Virgos latched onto him. He threw his hand at one of them, knocking it down with the Eva's forearm, and kicked the other one, destroying it immediately.

"Heero, there are eight more suits to your left taking the buildings as cover! They should be the last ones if we calculated the number of mobile suits on surveillance correctly!" Misato echoed through the cockpit.

"Roger that." Heero replied and turned in the direction Misato pointed him out to.

There was already another pain being felt through his left side – probably an open wound made from the heavier gunfire of the Taurus or the cuts from the beam saber slashes. Either way, he tried not to let that distract him now. _The incoming enemy was his current target right now, and he could not afford to give in before they triumphed_. He observed as the mobile suits – exactly eight Taurus, like Misato said – emerged from their concealments and aimed their firearms directly towards him. Heero braced himself and took aim at these opposing units.

_Had enough? Perhaps its time we take it now to the next level?_

He had heard Milliardo a second time, but could somehow feel his presence closer now! He shut his eyes, trying to get a lock-on of where this telepathic message was coming from. In seconds, however, he heard a huge clash directly in front of him! He looked straight forward, and noticed the eight Taurus approaching him were all sliced in half! From many different angles, it appeared as if someone waltzed right on by with a sword and sliced the mobile suits one by one – and that's what happened. Heero found himself looking upon the enormous, black titan earlier that Milliardo had taken the form of. Milliardo had turned his attention to Heero, now, and pulled out from his side what appeared to be a large rapier-like weapon, just like the one he was wielding earlier.

* * *

><p>"Another Angel?" Misato asked.<p>

"That's impossible. All Angels that were potential threats to us were eliminated long ago." Kozo responded.

"Well, what else could it be, then? It certainly has most of the characteristics of one. This creature also has a pretty decent display of supernatural powers, unlike the other invaders at present." Misato added, turning her attention to Ritsuko.

"Flawless logic. Sure, we can classify it as an Angel for now, but until we get a scan on its genetic material can we conclude what it is, exactly." Ritsuko responded.

"Professor Akagi is right." Gendo's voice suddenly rang from the back of the room, "We'll refer to this being as an Angel for the time being. However, for now we'll see how this monster fares against the Eva Unit. Once the beast is defeated will we conduct further analysis on the matter."

"Yes sir." Misato replied along with the rest of the crew in the Command Center. Misato took a deep breath and watched as the Eva Unit stood its grounds to prepare a confrontation with this "Angel." She said under her breath, "Hang in there, Heero."

* * *

><p>"Is this how you hope to accomplish peace? Invading in the matters of a totally different world and calling the rule to yourself?" Heero asked out loud.<p>

"You fool, this isn't about peace anymore!" Milliardo's voice was now perfectly clear in his mind, though the large, humanoid being in front of him didn't speak a word - let alone have a mouth to begin with. Milliardo continued, "I've been risen from the dead to serve the opposite purpose, and I chose to embrace it. Now I'm dedicated to destroying humanity for the foolishness of war that they created!"

Heero clutched onto the handles of the cockpit angrily, "So everything you've stood up for in the past is deemed meaningless? All your fighting for peace has been simply a waste, and you're only going to watch yourself wither away from the Peacecraft family moral the more you fight like this!" Heero declared.

Milliardo took the rapier and held it in front of him, holding the sharp end pointing towards Heero. He roared, "Just shut up, Heero! You wouldn't understand the boundless nightmare I was plunged into during the wars, and especially the aftermath. The future holds an infinite amount of possibilities, and I simply chose the one I desired utmost!"

Heero tilted his head forward in pity, "You're only another fool, Zechs. You still have yet learned that you are weak, I am weak, and all of humanity is just as fragile."

Misato spoke again, "Heero, are you okay? Why are you talking to yourself? Go and get him!" Heero ignored her. He knew that only he could hear this monster's telepathic messages, and focused his attentiveness straight at the enemy before him

"That's all the more reason for me to kill you, Heero!" Without hesitation after that statement, Milliardo came charging up to the Eva Unit with his rapier held strong to his side!

Heero began fighting by firing several rounds from the Pallet Gun at him. However, Milliardo's speed was incredible and was able to deflect almost every shot with hundreds of swift swings from his rapier. It wasn't long when Milliardo was standing right in front of him! Raising the rapier upward, he threw it down at great speeds upon the Eva Unit. Heero reacted fast, allowing him to dodge the strike, but the gun apparently was caught within its ranged an was sliced in half! It imploded immediately upon impact with Milliardo's sword.

"You're too slow, boy." Milliardo whispered through his head in a soft, dark tone. He shot his sword straight upward in an elegant manner, the tip of the blade scraping against Eva Unit 01's right forearm!

Heero felt the immense pain rushing into his arm – in the exact angle Zechs had sliced him. Embracing his forearm tightly, he tried to stop the pain – now bleeding within this own cockpit. Suddenly, he felt his neck being grasped tightly. He found ahead of him that Milliardo had a mighty grip on the Eva Unit's neck with his opposite arm of the rapier, clenching it tightly. His grip was so strong, it was sinking into his throat slowly. The pressure from Milliardo's fingertips could kill him any second!

In an instant, explosions were going off from behind Milliardo! They seemed strong enough to cause him to lose the grip on the Eva Unit, dropping it towards the ground. Heero struggled to catch his breath, along with patching up the surprisingly painful wound Milliardo made in him.

"Heero? Heero!" Misato shouted. Heero turned his attention to her, hoping she'd give him some decent advice. She continued, "Against Angels like these, it's best to use melee combat on them."

Heero spoke faintly, "So this is an Angel?"

"Not necessarily, but consider it the closest to one you'll ever face. But for right now, you have one option to engage in melee combat. You'll need to draw the Progressive Knife**[2]** for this kind of monster!"

"Progressive Knife?"

"Yes, the Prog Knife! It's the Evangelion's main form of melee weaponry, and it's the best weapon you have on this guy now." Ritsuko said through the cockpit, this time, "There's a sheath-like container within the unit's left shoulder pylon. Use it!"

Heero looked down the Eva Unit's shoulder, and noticed an opening there that held a large metallic, bowie knife. He reached for it with great effort, struggling to overcome the pain he was already going through now. There was also Milliardo who was still directly in front of him, leaning against a structure and trying to regain his fighting stance. This suddenly drove Heero to snatch the knife from his shoulder and rise onto his feet as much as possible.

Milliardo had recovered first, however, and the monster started with a swift strike down on the Eva Unit. Heero retaliated immediately, and with a prompt reaction he blocked the strike with the knife, creating a loud, metallic crashing noise ringing through the air. Milliardo then lifted his sword, and suddenly kicked the Eva Unit in its stomach! Heero tumbled backward, also seizing his entire torso from the harsh blow.

Finally, Milliardo had stood still and did not move or attack from the spot he was in. This gave time for Heero to return to his feet. However, he was limping mildly and couldn't stand In a proper position. He simply felt too helpless and fragile to continue to fight, _but he had to go on_.

"What's the matter, Heero? Are you prepared to give in? Have I demonstrated my purpose upon you far enough?" Milliardo's mockery rang through Heero's head horrendously.

"Shut up…" Heero responded telepathically.

"I've been holding back this whole time. Did you really think you had a chance? In a machine you have no experience with?"

"No… I can defeat you. I'll kill you before I dare forsake all of those lives you've taken…" Heero whispered.

He prepared to lunge forward, but before he could even fidget from his spot, Milliardo stood right in front of him! _He moved at extreme speeds,_ Heero thought! Milliardo had blitzed him within a split second, and immediately thrust the sword straight through the Eva Unit's chest! Heero took the same hit as this Eva Unit, enduring a mortal stab right through his solar plexus.

Heero then heard his voice, roaring more powerfully through his head than ever.

"And behold, this is merely a taste of the little but dreadful time I've faced through what many men have called _hell_."

His energy was failing. As the Evangelion struggled to escape this pain, it only wounded him further. He felt frail, weak, and every limb of his body would give out on him any moment. His spirit, too, would follow as Milliardo poisoned him more with the words he just spoke. He dwelled on it, as it kept on echoing through his mind.

* * *

><p>"The Evangelion just took a fatal blow through the chest! Heero won't be able to handle that level of pressure on the Eva Unit!" Aoba announced to Misato.<p>

"With that low a synch ratio? How is it even hurting him this much?" Misato questioned demandingly.

"I don't know, but it's certainly a heavier burden on the pilot than it is the Eva Unit at this rate!"

"In that case, focus all power on the life support system**[2]**! We have to save Heero at all costs!" Misato ordered the entire staff of the Command Center.

"No, hold on!" Ritsuko tugged Misato by the arm, then glaring into her eyes. "You've seen what's happened out there, already! The kid doesn't have any chance for fighting this Angel! Either we take him out of there right now or just continue watching him die!" Ritsuko asserted.

"And then what? Watch as the monster comes down to terrorize the city underground? The boy has to be pushed to his limits, like Shinji has numerous times!" Misato responded.

"Get a clue, Major." Kozo calmly added, causing the girls to shift their attention to him. He had his palms planted on the control panel in front of him, saying, "Even I don't think the kid will last much longer fighting this battle. We just... We have to pull him out. The conditions are just too critical for him to remain fighting any longer."

"But we can't just...-?" Misato said, but was immediately interrupted.

"This level of performance even Rei and Shinji surpassed in their first tries. Had they been piloting the Evas, it wouldn't be this badly damaged."

Misato turned to the three computer technicians in front of her, "Damage report!" The three computer technicians were silent, gazing in fear at the monitors in front of them.

"I'm sorry, Major. But I think the Commander is right. It's not even the Evangelion who's suffering, it's Heero! Something out there is killing him, but it's not just the Angel!" Maya reported.

Misato just looked at them blankly. She had no idea what move to make next, seeing as they were all against her favor. Her fingers tightened against her palms, and she tilted her head in Commander Ikari's direction.

"Commander, what are your orders now?" Misato asked, finding him with his fingers crossed in front of his face and staring at the monitor in front of him.

He did not respond.

* * *

><p>[1] A Pallet Gun ("Pallet Rifle") is a standard ranged weapon of the Evangelion Units. It's based off a Steyr ACR combat rifle and is a commonly used gun by the Eva Units. It is wielded by the Eva Units like any normal human uses it, and is also the most commonly used ranged weapon by the Eva Units throughout the series.<p>

[2]A Progressive Knife ("Prog Knife") is the standard and most commonly used melee weapon used by the Evangelion Units. These basic units of weaponry are located in the left shoulder pylon of the Evangelion. They vibrate at high frequency, granting it the capability of slicing through almost any kind of matter. Throughout Neon Genesis Evangelion, it is the most recommended weapon for defeating Angels.

[3]The life support system within the Evangelion is the system supporting the health of the pilot. It played its most crucial role in Neon Genesis Evangelion in episode 16, when the life support fails for pilot Shinji Ikari and he is consumed within the twelfth Angel, Leliel.


	8. Chapter 08

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 08<strong>

"This is rather mysterious." Heero murmured.

He was at ease, calm, and tranquil, but at the same time at awe. As he float around in this mysterious red fog, he only wondered how he got here. The air was much lighter here than it was inside of the Eva cockpit, and he felt his movements flow much more freely about. This mysterious area was completely isolated from the Eva cockpit as a whole, he knew.

_Heero._

"Zechs..." Heero recognized the voice immediately. There was another being about this realm, rather omnipresent. As he waved his hand through the deep red fog, it had only been replaced with a thicker layer. This fog was so dense that it made impossible to navigate through.

Oddly enough, he felt the ground suddenly solidify below him. It allowed him to walk, and he did so while still attempting to find his way through. But what frightened him at mind even more was the feel. _That feel_. His heart began to race rapidly as he progressed forward slowly. The red fog arousing him only promoted the image of blood, a sight he's been gazing upon his entire lifetime as a soldier. There was no smell to this fog to resemble blood, but only the presence of a being or object much darker than the stench of blood startled him frequently.

Alas, he stopped walking. He clenched his fists and silently whispered:

"Show yourself, Zechs."

This whisper was rather loud, he thought. He heard an echo of himself speaking ring throughout this entire area. He looked around himself, a little more nervously now. Until finally, _there was something_. His eyes slid past what he thought to be an enormous tree-like image. He turned to look at it again, and there it was in front of him. He looked at it, mildly frightened, but something so peculiar like this sent sheer shivers down his spine. _There was a cross right in front of him, with a pale feminine being nailed onto it_.

The more he looked upon it, the more frightened he became. He dared not to step forward and touch it. The cross stood tall before him, about three meters in height, and held an arm span of about two meters. The figure being crucified on this cross appeared to be around his height, but it had no hair to speak of. Its eyes were closed, and had no significant features on its face. Its entire body was completely white, a color that distinguished it from the rest of this dusky area. There were a few signs of severe scars throughout various parts of its body, too. Nevertheless, it was impossible to even conclude what it was, aside from the fact it looked rather feminine. What made it more mysterious was that this being before him was the only other sign of life in this world.

_He stared unendingly in fright._

Finally, there was some sign of movement coming from it. Its eyes slowly opened, and her head swung around very slowly, eventually looking straight in his direction. Heero's eyes widened in horror. As he tried to move his body, he simply couldn't. The anxiety from staring at this otherworldly figure had paralyzed him completely.

Slowly, the nails impaling it onto the cross disappeared. It levitated on its own as it departed from the cross. It descended down to fight in front of where Heero was standing. He now got a better glimpse of its eyes - very elegant in its lustrous red color though filled with a sensation of burning fire. He backed away from its gaze. _Those eyes_, he thought, one of the most horrifying sights he's ever laid eyes on.

It gently raised its hand, holding it out to him. Heero refused to take it, and didn't even bother to look at its hand. It reached further out to him, this time close enough to him to touch his face. It did so, and Heero did not respond. He noticed as it caressed his face gently, brushing softly against his cheeks. It took its other hand, also touching his face now, tracing his facial features with the palm of its hand. After a few minutes of this contact, it brought its hands down to his shoulders, now pulling him gently towards itself. As Heero continued to stay calm and not react, it simply glared at him now. This stare of the being was much more terrifying now, as it appeared to look straight into his soul. It embraced him, stronger by the moment, eventually sinking its fingers into his skin. Heero could not feel the pain, despite its needle-like fingers now penetrating through him. He remained absolutely silent, still giving it the incessant stare of fright he's had since he first laid eyes upon it.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!_

A scream! A high-pitched and deafening scream! It was a scream that destroyed the silence in this dreadful realm! It was a scream that induced a more extreme level of fear within him! It was a scream... That caused him to break.

As the being let go of him, its fingers left his body. Heero slowly fell backwards, ready to collide with the hard ground of this shadowy world. As he looked upon the face of the being again, the sensation of fear was gone. Instead, he dwelled on the sound of the scream, the scream that struck his morality, _and even his sanity_.

He prepared for this fall, but instead, he was caught...

* * *

><p>"Mental toxicity<strong>[1]<strong> levels are off the charts! Eject him, now!" Misato demanded loudly throughout the Command Center, loud enough for Heero to hear.

His eyes were wide open, now. The pain from Milliardo's blade was gone, although he could see that it was still impaled through the Eva Unit's chest. All of a sudden, the entire cockpit began to tremor mightily! The entry plug bulleted upward (supposedly) out of the Evangelion's spinal cord. The entire cockpit trembled mightily as it raced through the skies at high speeds. Until finally, the entry plug finally paused in its ascension. Heero held tight onto the cockpit seat as the descent began slowly, eventually picking up into an intense gravity pull downward. He shut his eyes, remained completely calm, and grasped tightly to this metallic seat.

The entry plug had collided with the ground with great clamor. Heero endured the crash immediately, but could feel all of the commotion occurring from outside. He could feel just from this cockpit chair how much concrete the capsule had been brushing against, with each contact with the ground becoming more severe. It didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon, but after about a minute, one of the longest minutes he's ever been through, it came to a stop at last.

Heero took a moment to breath, but he knew already that the battle was not yet over. He struggled his way off the cockpit chair and over to what looked to be some kind of eject door. There was a wheel-like knob on this door, and he immediately went for it. With both his hands, he forced the door to open, but he struggled immensely in this effort. The temperature within the cockpit was slowly rising, he felt, but that only instructed him to try harder. With one last solid thrust, the door flew open, and he was once again present in the surface.

He did his best to climb out of the entry plug, but Heero felt like he used up all his energy just from getting out of it. He looked over to his side, but only found the two colossal figures fighting one another - though only one was capable of even standing. Heero then climbed out of the entry plug completely, and he fell directly to the ground before it. Now, turning his head to the right, he witnessed as Milliardo was now pulling the blade out of the Eva Unit's torso. The monster had turned his head, pointing his sword along with it, and now set its gaze upon Heero.

Heero got on his hands to lift himself up. He glared angrily at the enormous creature before him, and made no movement or sound. He held his ground as its devastating footsteps began to roar in his direction, becoming louder with every footstep. To his side, Heero noticed a dead soldier, supposedly of NERV. _This was one man that Milliardo and his forces had already killed_, he knew. In the soldier's hand was a pistol, the only weapon seen on him that could defend himself at this point, now. Heero leaned down next to this soldier, and retrieved the gun from his hand. He returned to his original stance, prepared to face the monster with the only strength he had left now.

_Do not be afraid._

Someone spoke, and it was the girl with the mysterious voice again. Before Heero could even think of her once more, he had noticed the Eva Unit from behind the monster was in movement! From limping to standing up perfectly straight, it now took another fighting stance, holding the prog knife strongly in one hand. At the same time, Milliardo was already within a range in which he could kill Heero right now. However, the Eva Unit lunged at him from behind, grasping the monster in a headlock!

The two monsters were struggling with immense strength, now. The 'Angel' was trying to break free of a mighty grip, while the contender was ready to thrust a knife into the spinal column of the monster. Milliardo elbowed the Eva Unit in the gut several times, every blow seemingly causing a great deal of pain to the Eva Unit. Eva Unit 01 screeched out loud, with the sound nearly terrorizing the whole environment. Heero was knocked backwards on his rear, holding onto the pistol tightly and folding his arms behind his head.

It took about ten seconds until this terrifying noise was over. Heero unraveled his arms and took sight at the action. _Eva Unit 01 had pierced the prog knife right through Milliardo's chest_. The monster had dropped its sword onto the ground next to Heero, crushing the entry plug. He had now slowly begun to fall freely to the side, eventually colliding with the ground with a great tremor. However, Heero noticed that the Eva Unit was falling, too. Eva Unit 01 collapsed onto its knees, had its arms go completely limp, and looked downward. No more sign of animation could be seen from the Eva Unit, now.

As soon as the action seemed to come to a complete stop, Heero rose onto his feet again. It was absolutely quiet, now, and a soft breeze blew through the airs. The moment felt perfectly peaceful now, and the calm following the storm had come. As his hair blew in the direction of the wind, he simply stared towards the victorious Eva Unit – whom was currently in a bad shape. He then took a look behind him – but this time saw something there, _moving_.

A shady figure was dashing into an alleyway, out of Heero's sight. He grasped the pistol in his hand tightly and traced the footsteps of this figure. He dashed past the corpse of the monster Milliardo took the form of, and looking left he found the alley this figure escaped to. Without hesitation, he moved forward, ready to draw his arms at any time. The two buildings surrounding this area appeared to be under construction – the same destroyed buildings done by the night ambush from days before.

Heero felt the wind was still blowing – in spite of being in between two solid buildings. This was something so mysterious to him right now, he could only help but go with these events. The wind blew against one of the deconstructed buildings, persuading him immediately to follow it. He found a ladder along part of the completed walls, and immediately made his way upward.

As soon as he got higher, the wind began to become weaker and weaker. The world around him still felt completely silent – the only sound coming from his own breath. He continued to climb, wondering what was leading him up there. The climb wasn't very long, however, and he already found himself at the top in just a few moments.

He walked forward once again, carefully planning his every step. He raised the gun next to his head, prepared to open fire at any moment. As Heero scanned every corner of this area of this level of the construction site, he paid undivided attention to anything that could possibly move.

_Behind you._

It didn't take a split second for him to know Milliardo was speaking quietly behind him. Heero turned around – his gun pointed – and took aim at Milliardo. He was no longer the monster that attacked the city, but now resumed his human form – his appearance and clothing exactly like the night before. Milliardo was standing there against the very edge of the floor – in which one step backward he could fall to his doom – holding a pistol in his hands, also aiming it directly towards Heero.

"Once again, Zechs, you couldn't achieve what you utmost desire. Look at yourself, now." Heero bitterly said as he took a stand, still pointing the gun at him.

"Why should I? I've already lost everything so dear to me, Heero. What more can I lose, now?" Milliardo replied.

"You have your life, the last thing you have to offer. Only then will you have lost everything."

"I've already been through what's worse than my death. What good is it when you only live to _kill for your own gain_?" Milliardo bellowed.

"Humans have always had the right to make choices for themselves, yet some choose to abuse it. You're only one of them, using that right to bring forth what you don't believe in. So why, Zechs, tell me why you've done this!"

Milliardo lowered his gun, "You still don't know, do you?"

Heero shot a glare into Milliardo's eyes, "No."

"You've already defeated me, Heero. I may as well just tell you the whole truth right now. It's only my honor to do so…" Milliardo lowered his gun completely and assumed a more formal pose. Another thought had struck Heero arousing the word _honor_. He greatly questioned this when he remembered that last night, he had been brutally shot in the woods – right after escaping from the territory of the new White Fang.

"_Honor_?" Heero disdainfully replied, "You are anything but a soldier of honor. You sent one of your own men to kill me before we could being any of this."

"_What_?" Milliardo replied, "I would give no such order. My revived White Fang may have had different intentions from I, but never would I even think to ruin the rules of an organized and fair duel."

"You're their leader, Zechs. You could've stopped any of them at any time…" Heero replied solemnly. He held onto his gun much tighter now, ready to pull the trigger at any time.

"No…" Milliardo raised the gun again, aiming towards Heero once more, "Even if a soldier of mine happens to have ambushed you, there's no preventing to what's already been done!"

"Zechs, you don't have to do this!" Heero exclaimed, "You have a chance, still, to redeem your honor for everything you've lost. You are a soldier, a hero chosen by man. Drop the gun right now!"

"Heero…" Milliardo shut his eyes, gently pressing his fingertip against the trigger, "You will never understand!"

A loud bang came roaring from his gun, with a swift ammunition bulleting towards Heero! Heero pulled his trigger next upon hearing this sound, and another bullet came speeding towards Milliardo! The two bullets raced towards one another, piercing through the once peaceful air. Heero was the first to get in the way of the bullet heading towards him. He raised his palm in between him and the bullet, then tried to maneuver away from it – but suddenly the bullet stopped in midair! He glanced at the round in awe, wondering what suddenly stopped this deadly bullet from reaching him! It fell straight to the ground, in which he just stared at.

However, he then took a look ahead of him – Milliardo had been struck directly in the chest by Heero's firearm. Zechs had his hand placed over the spot on his chest that was heavily bleeding – which was right over his heart. He had been coughing up some blood, but the blood coming from his chest flowed down his sweater and all over his gloves. He finally had taken the gun, still in his hands, and he brought it pointing straight upward on his head. Heero raised his hand, taking a step forward.

"Zechs, stop it…"

"I've done so much wrong, so let me regain my honor this way…"

Heero shut his eyes as he then heard another bang being shot in front of him. He looked ahead once more, but this time Milliardo wasn't anywhere to be seen, but instead a puddle of blood on the floor. Heero dashed over to the edge where he was just standing, and looked downward to see if there was any sign of him. Milliardo could not be found, although he had shot himself in an angle that would cause him to fall several stories downward. There was nothing to be seen on the ground, _absolutely nothing_.

* * *

><p>The battle was already over, and the grounds of the mayhem was now flooded with NERV staff recovering the city. The corpse of the fallen monster was being disassembled and taken away piece by piece, while the Eva Unit would be transferred with the same heavy machinery for transporting the Gundams. Heero, however, rested quietly on top of some rubble from the destroyed buildings. He sat completely still, just staring at the ground ahead of him.<p>

"Heero?" Someone shouted from ahead. He looked upward, noticing a stern-looking Commander Fuyutsuki walking towards him. He turned his grim look into a slight smile, "I'm very impressed by what you've shown today in the Evangelion."

"What do you have to thank me for? It wasn't even me who won." Heero bluntly replied.

Kozo returned with a confused manner, "What are you saying? You piloted the machine, did you not?"

"It tried to kill me…" Heero said this with more aggression. He looked into the Commander's eyes with mild anger, whom only looked more confused now.

"Huh. If you put it that way, then you'll only know the answer to the entire turn of events by staying with NERV a little longer. You may start by learning the term, "**[2]**berserker mode." I expect nothing more than just higher-level cooperation from you." Kozo remarked.

"Sure." Heero turned his head away.

Kozo looked at him with a little more disappointment. Heero could already tell he wasn't pleased with his current display of attitude, but it didn't bother him at all.

"Why have such an attitude, boy? We're offering you the chance for a temporary home, and even some sort of employment while you're here."

"I had a home and I act on whatever I wish to do." Heero whispered.

"Just… For now, consider this world your temporary haven. Take us for whatever you wish, but we'll make sure a hero like you gets suited like one." Kozo said, turned around, and made his way back towards the scene.

"I am no hero…" Heero responded, but Kozo was already away.

* * *

><p>"You seem to be holding up just fine, kid! No cuts, bruises, wounds that we need to be aware of?" Misato asked Heero politely. She had met up with him in the main hallway after he was recovered and returned to headquarters.<p>

"None at all." He replied.

"I've already set up your arrangements for your housing, NERV recruitment, and even schooling for you. You'll be in tip-top shape by tomorrow." Misato said as she handed Heero a folder – loaded with several documents – labeled with a NERV symbol on it.

Heero was still bothered by something else. He remembered the day before when Kozo brought him before interrogation. He had promised that NERV would return to him Duo, whom he remembered was still locked behind bars. Heero simply responded to Misato's offering with a bitter look.

Misato sighed, "O-kay… What's the matter with you, now?"

"Where's Duo? You probably don't remember your promise for returning his freedom in exchange for my obligation to the city." Heero murmured.

Heero suddenly felt himself in a headlock! He was unable to react immediately, but already felt this person's fist impaling slightly into his hair – twisting it somewhat. He was ready to retaliate, about to attack this person!

"Hey hey, buddy! Take it easy, pal! It's just me!" Duo's voice was heard from behind! Heero stopped resisting, when he finally realized it was just his friend. Duo chuckled and continued, "You didn't think that they'd keep me in that dirty old jail cell forever, did ya?" Duo grinned and let go of him.

"No." Heero replied.

"Heh, so I heard all about what you did just a little while ago! Fighting the giant monster in that robot that attacked us… What was it now, the Evangeline?"

"The Evangelion." Misato corrected.

"Right!" Duo said, "Welp, glad you made it out in one piece, Heero. You're too stubborn to die, aren't you?"

"Sure." Heero responded silently.

"Duo, you may want to have a peek in that folder, too. After all, we arranged your stay in Tokyo-3 for the both of you." Misato remarked.

"Alrighty then. Lets take a look at 'em!" Duo announced happily. Heero handed the folder to him, but Misato spoke before he could even open it.

"Why don't you two check those out later? While specific parts of the city are still being reconstructed, most of the civilian areas have been unharmed. Upon your exit of the Geofront, there will be a transportation awaiting you in the surface. From there, it will take you to your new home!" Misato exclaimed.

"Sounds like a plan! So what are we waiting for, Heero? Let's get going!" Duo turned around and made his way through the main hallway out of headquarters. Heero began to follow, but suddenly felt Misato's hand tap his shoulder.

"One sec, Heero..." Misato said quietly. Heero turned to her and she continued, "Look, I already know how much you don't want to do this. Since Commander Ikari is basically the boss of this whole city, that includes you... I hate to say this, but before you go on with your new life here, I'd like you to meet someone. She just showed up an hour ago after taking shelter from the attacks, and is also one of our Evangelion pilots."

"Alright." Heero replied hastily.

"Heero, I'd like you to meet Rei Ayanami." Misato remarked. At the very end of this hallway, another figure approached. It was a girl - with blue hair and almost as tall as he - making her way to Misato and Heero. She walked very slowly with her hands crossed in front of her waist, and kept a blank face. As soon as she arrived where the two were standing, she stopped completely and was motionless. Heero took a better observation of her: She had pale skin, her hair was light blue, and was wearing a school uniform - just like the school kids he saw the other day.

Misato added after she arrived, "Rei is the most experienced of our current roster of pilots. She is also the most knowledgeable of NERV and will be your guide throughout your experience here. I trusted her with this task, because, you know... I'm the busy Major doing stuff here and there?" Misato giggled, "You two will get along just fine, I bet!"

Heero returned a stare to this girl, who did not respond either but continued staring at him. She was looking at him in this strange fashion, but he didn't even know why. Was she of the same demeanor as he?

"Anyway, Heero, I gotta get going. Lucky for you, the apartment complex I live in is right by your building. Everything else to contact me is in those papers. Take care, kid!" Misato lifted the other important papers in her hands and proceeded on through the hallways.

Heero was alone with this girl, now. He got a closer glimpse of her eyes - a very bright and vivid red color. Her stare was not intimidating, but nor did it seem to have a purpose. They continuously gazed into each other's eyes, neither being making any sign of movement or sound. The only noise being heard in this hallway was the clock - with its arms ticking every second by second. It felt that an eternity had passed and these two were still looking directly at one another. But Heero could also feel something coming from this girl named Rei. She hadn't spoken yet, but this coincidental meet with her... Does it indicate something? Why were they both so silent to one another?

"I know what you are thinking." She had finally spoke. Heero was in shock within his own mind. She had now spoken, but it was not only that... She sounded just like the girl who was telepathically communicating with him since his arrival in this world. _It was clear that she was the one, now_.

"You do?" Heero replied quietly.

"Yes."

"Then I expect answers from you..." Heero whispered.

"What answers?" Rei replied, "What you are looking for in this world, or whatever you seek, will be revealed in time. For now, I should fulfill my task meant for you at this very moment. Please, follow me." Rei immediately turned around, signaling Heero to follow her. He did so, awaiting to where she would lead him.

* * *

><p>"The boy has impressed me much more than I would imagine. How about yourself, Commander?" Gendo asked.<p>

"He's brilliant, I must say." Kozo replied.

"_Brilliant?_" Gendo scoffed, "Poor choice of words. That performance displayed inside of the Eva Unit was merely pitiful. I saw every moment of that fight and even I agree he would have lost had the battle been prolonged."

"It's not even just that, Commander. Have you not seen how he overcame all of that? He survived the fatal blow into the Eva's torso. Any other pilot would've died almost in an instant had we not reacted with the ejection, but he survived almost a good five minutes." Kozo explained with courtesy.

"Except no, do you remember his low synch ratio? The levels of pain generally felt by the pilot fell sharply due to that factor." Gendo replied.

Kozo paused in thought, but spoke again, "I-I'm sure you have a point there, Commander. But you're also aware of his _other escape _from death? The fact he made it back to headquarters alive this morning was beyond any miracle a man could hope for!"

"_Do not_ speak of that anymore, Commander Fuyutsuki. All incidents before the events of today shall now remained classified, do I make myself clear?"

"But sir, there..." Kozo paused when suddenly Gendo shot a glare at him. Kozo cleared his throat, and continued, "Alright, I will not speak of it again. But be aware I'm into every piece of your plan as it is right now. So tell me, what do you have in store for the boy?"

Gendo took off his glasses and placed them onto his desk, "I will announce to you upon my next meeting with SEELE. You will be there with me. As far as I know, my plans for the boy are _far, far_ from over. I expect him to go through an experience far worse than any hell I've put our three main pilots through. Lets just see how he passes these tests."

* * *

><p><strong>[1]<strong> Mental toxicity is a rather negative term used in Neon Genesis Evangelion referring to synchronization. Although never explicitly stated what the term means, it has been proven from episode 22 that high levels of mental toxicity can result in psychological poisoning. This has been part of the buildup of Asuka's mental breakdowns throughout the last episodes of the series.

**[2]** Berserker mode refers to the stage the Evangelion Unit enters when it goes beyond the control of the pilot. In berserker mode, they become savage, reckless beasts, in which their strength and other statistics rise dramatically. The most notable use of berserker mode occurs in episode 19, when the Angel, Zeruel, attacks NERV Headquarters, and Eva Unit 01 becomes berserker mode in order to defeat the mosnter.


	9. Chapter 09

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**All grammar errors or wording flaws are to be sent through me by message. Post a review with these types of comments, and you'll be blocked. I hope you all understand that it annoys me greatly that I get several of these in my stories. Thank you for cooperating. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 09<strong>

_So this should be the part where I tell my side of the story, huh? Well, as far as I know, Heero's about to be made the boss. Also, Heero seems to have found this strange blue-haired girl who's almost as anti-social as he! You really don't blame the guy for having a dot dot dot conversation for five whole minutes._

_Do you have any clue how awful it was being stuck behind bars for days? It's certainly not like being locked up in the cells back home! Real iron bars, like, the clichéd jail bars on TV. That's what it was in a nutshell, and it wasn't even really "jail" to begin with._

_So, hopefully the tables have turned by now. Heero saved my butt from rotting in that dark, tiny ditch but it's just good to be out and well. Without further ado, I probably should start telling you what's up, now._

"What's taking that guy so long?" Duo yawned and leaned back against the walls of the hallway near the entrance. He took off his black cap and tried spinning it against his finger, but then he realized that's all he's been doing the past few days locked in custody.

He slanted his eyes to his side and noticed there was now somebody coming through one of the several glass doors leading into this Headquarters. It was a girl, around his height and had long, orangey red hair. She looked rather - no, very - attractive to him, but didn't seem to be in a good mood - at all. This girl was wearing a school uniform of some sort and was holding some books tight against her chest. Her eyes were sealed shut and her footsteps were heavy across this hallway. Judging by her current attitude, she was pissed off, if anything. Duo wanted to cheer her up somehow, but perhaps he was too bored out of his mind to do so.

"What's cookin', good lookin'?" Duo gasped when suddenly he uttered that extremely stupid statement. _This is what boredom does to you for three days_, he thought.

The girl stopped and turned towards him, looking rather bitter, "You wanna taste? Bite your tongue while you're at it! " She scoffed, then uttered to herself under her breath, "Idiot!" The girl turned around and went on her way. Duo would probably feel disgusted right now, but then again it was him who did something abnormally stupid and rather rude in this scenario.

"Miss Soryu! Where on God's Earth have you been?!" Duo heard a woman's voice echo loudly across the hallway. Whoever it was, this lady was really ticked off at, supposedly, the girl who just walked past him. He now heard a rather heated argument going on over there with screams going back and forth, but he couldn't pick up anything they were saying.

"WHO CARES WHERE I WAS?!" Duo heard the same girl scream at the top of her lungs from across the hallway, "We're alive now, aren't we?!" That was all Duo heard when all he could hear now were numerous rambles being thrown back and forth.

"God damn it, Duo... What were you thinking?" Duo slammed the back of his head against the wall and slammed his palm against his face. He then got up and stretched, and decided to go ahead about the halls to find Heero after two hours of waiting.

This time, there were some footsteps coming in his direction. Duo's eyes widened as he noticed a shorter figure coming his way. It was Heero! He didn't look any different than he did hours ago, except he was carrying a stack of papers in his hands.

"About time you showed up! You must've been pretty busy back there, huh?" Duo asked.

"Sure." Heero responded silently, "We'll take the escalators to the surface, this instant."

Duo was shocked, "You mean the giant escalators that brought us down here to begin with?"

"Yes." Heero said as he walked out of the doorway. Duo shrugged and followed.

* * *

><p>"He got everything, I hope?" Gendo asked as he stepped onto the conveyor belt leading through the premises of NERV Headquarters.<p>

"Yes." Rei replied, following him from behind shortly.

"Good." Gendo replied, staring directly before the doors, labeled "Terminal Dogma**[1]**", that were opening for the two of them to come through. The path came to a complete stop upon arriving there. Before they continued, Gendo turned towards Rei, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Rei spoke silently.

"Commander Fuyutsuki reminded me that you and he didn't say a word to one-another the entire time when you were supposed to be briefing to him everything that was in those documents. He is valuable to me, which is why I trusted you of all people to be at his aide."

Rei didn't respond. She blinked and tilted her head down a little.

* * *

><p>"So where's this guy taking us?" Duo asked. Heero hadn't said a word to him the moment he ordered him into this nice-looking car, with a chauffeur driving.<p>

"Our new quarters as long as we reside here in Tokyo-3." Heero replied while staring blankly ahead of him with his arms crossed.

Duo noticed in between the elongated car seat they were in, there was a small pile of folders filled with papers and assumingly important documents. He attempted to reach for them to take a look.

"_Don't even think about it_." Heero uttered.

"New mission? Really top-secret? Maybe you should fill me in on it some? I can help, or even return the favor for saving my butt back there from rotting in jail!" Duo humorously remarked.

"Not necessarily. Apparently, they want me to do much more for them than just stopping the monster. I haven't even looked at them yet, nor do I want to."

Duo looked at him confused, "It's something you and that girl in the hallway went over, right?"

"Yes."

"...And it has to do with all this baloney about NERV and whatnot?"

"Yes."

"And you're just waiting for the right time to see what's all this business gotta do with, huh?" Duo said now in his usual cheerful tone.

"No." Heero said. Duo noticed him this time looking out the window. They both could now see that people were roaming the streets again and reliving their usual lives. It seemed like that whole attack from the menace wasn't too new to them at all. Duo noticed in his friends face a little more relief than he, probably because Heero has seen much more of this world than he has by now.

The car suddenly came to a stop in front of a modestly large apartment complex, seemingly isolated from the big parts of the city. The chauffeur began to signal them it was time to get off.

"Major Katsuragi ordered me to give you this." The chauffeur handed Heero a small manila envelope and a card key. Picking up the folders on the seat along with the envelope, Heero stepped out of the car with Duo following. The chauffeur then drove away, leaving the boys on their own.

"This must be our new place, huh?" Duo asked. Heero replied with a brief nod.

The boys entered the building and ended up wandering around it for a couple minutes. Heero led them both into an elevator while still focused on the papers he was holding. Shortly, however, Heero found a hallway that caught his attention. From there, they stopped at a door. Heero used the key card to open up this door, and he immediately entered. Duo followed shortly after, but was awe-stricken in an instant!

"Holy cow, this place is mighty nice!" Duo said as he gazed upon the walls of this apartment. It was much like a traditional modern Japanese home, something that he's never seen back home. He turned around and then noticed Heero slip off his shoes before stepping in.

"Best go by their traditions now that we're returning to this lifestyle, for now..." Heero stated.

"Eh-heh, sure thing buddy." Duo took off his shoes and tossed them before Heero's feet. Meanwhile, he looked around the place a little more. What caught his attention first was the small kitchen, particularly the refrigerator! Duo rubbed his stomach, grinned and looked inside, immediately noticing it was empty. Duo shrugged, "Of course, it's our first day in here. I guess we oughta eat out on our first night here?"

"We should get settled first." Heero opened up the envelope he was holding. Sliding out of the envelope was a pile of some thin, colored paper - it was money.

"I take that back... Guess we should consider grocery shopping before that..." Duo remarked.

"It's about 80000 Japanese yen if I'm not mistaken. It's enough to last us for a while." Heero said.

Duo walked out of the kitchen and found the bedroom across the kitchen. In between himself and the rooms was a thin, wooden sliding door. He had to manually slide it open himself, and he did so. In this room now, there lay two thick mats for sleeping in on opposite ends of the room, along with a big-screen TV inside. Duo found this room to be fit for his tastes, in spite of the really old-fashioned style.

"We could sure get used to this kind of life real quick, huh Heero?" Duo exclaimed as he stretched his arms out to feel the open space. There was a pause, though, and Heero didn't respond. Duo turned around and noticed his friend intensely studying the papers coming out of the folder they were given. He returned to the kitchen, "Heero?" Heero glanced at him, but immediately returned to carefully observing these papers. Duo nudged him a little, but still no response.

"I'll be busy tonight..." Heero murmured. Duo shrugged and stepped back.

"Well, it's up to you, pal." Duo stepped back a little more, and then looked over at the door to his left, "Listen, buddy, I know the hell you've been through today, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of relaxation once in a while, don't you think?" Heero didn't respond again. Duo shrugged again and made his way for the door, "I'm gonna go for a walk... I'll see you later."

Duo made his way out of the door. While closing it, he memorized the number of the room so he'd remember where to go when coming back. Sighing to himself that Heero didn't feel in the mood, Duo stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way back down the building.

The skies were dark, now, as it was now complete sundown. Duo found the air to smell fresh, despite knowing a wicked monster attacked them earlier that day. Again, he found it greatly surprising how the residents of Tokyo-3 have already adapted back to their normal lifestyles by now. He could only smile that that everything was back to normal for them. _Whatever Heero did up here, the city sure knew how to keep itself out of harm's way,_ Duo thought.

Duo left the premises of the complex, now, and was headed towards the more metropolitan area of Tokyo-3, now. The carefree side of him overtook his train of thought, as he was only focused on the fresh night breeze brushing against him. Closing his eyes briefly, he could hear the many voices of the people being spoken one after the other, the humming of engines of the vehicles on the road, and the roaring of the trains pulling into the nearby metro.

"Oh yeah..." Duo whispered to himself, "This is definitely a kind of life I could get used to." He found himself at the local train station - a rather crowded area with many people scrambling for transportation. This was something he rarely saw back home, so he made this sight an experience.

He found a bench along the way which he could relax in. Stretching himself once more, he fell backwards to sit peacefully in this busy terminal. He relaxed for a couple of minutes just to feel the pleasure of having all of this space again. It felt like he was trapped in the dark cell at NERV Headquarters for ages, which made this moment feel like heaven. His eyes hovered over the hundreds of people walking in front of him, when suddenly he laid eyes upon a girl with bright red hair. _Bright red hair_? That was the same girl he encountered earlier at the lobby of NERV HQ!

"Oh snap..." Duo stood up, looking at her nervously. He realized that she was on the other side of the railway with her head down and holding her school bag tightly against her waist. Sweating lightly, he mumbled to himself, "I guess I could try to make up right now and tell her I'm sorry... But what are you gonna do, Duo? Just yell across this giant trench of a railway?"

There were now some really loud noises coming from behind him, now. Duo turned around to see what it was, but jumped in utter fright! He looked upon a giant, black head with ruby-red eyes, staring directly at him! The head was just as big as the enormous, orange robot that he and Heero encountered days before!

"Well, whaddya know! That must be Mr. Gruesome that Heero fought today..." Duo said to himself in relief. Turning back towards the railway, he noticed standing about ten feet to the side of this red-haired girl was a boy standing right on the edge of the railway. Duo blinked, "Does that kid know that's not safe at all?"

He studied this boy a little. He appeared to be wearing a white, polo-like shirt with black pants - much like the other boys were wearing right now. He was definitely a part of some school, and what he was wearing a school uniform. He was skinny and had dark, brown hair, and appeared to be in the same mood as the girl with red hair - holding their school bag against their waist and looking down, aguishly.

"First Heero, and now these two... Can't anybody today just been in a good mood? I just came out of prison, for Pete's sake!" Duo whispered to himself.

Suddenly, Duo noticed the boy he saw was fidgeting! The boy looked ahead, looking absolutely terrified at something! Duo turned around and noticed it was just the head of the monster staring straight in their direction. However, returning his attention forward he noticed that the boy had fallen onto the railway!

Crowds of people began storming around this terminal, panicking in horror! _What was he thinking? Save him! Somebody!_ They were all panicking out loudly at the sight of this boy lying helplessly on the railway! What made matters much worse, Duo heard a train from his right about to pull into the terminal. Duo gulped. Nobody around him seemed to be offering help right now, so it was time for him to be a hero.

The adrenaline pumped mightily throughout Duo's whole being. "Oh my God, I'm gonna regret this!" Duo shouted to himself and leaped onto the railway! Now next to the boy, he kneeled down and positioned the boy's body to the center of the railway, where the wheels of the incoming train wouldn't touch him. Seconds remained until the train would collide with the boys! Duo hugged his arms around the boy and lay down, clenching the boy tightly, and ducked his head as further down as he possibly could!

The train was now right before them. Duo hugged him tighter, ensuring that neither of them would come into contact with the bottom of the train! Alas, before he knew it, the train was braking above them! Duo was now subject to the deafening screeches of the train breaks to both of his sides! The noise, the stress, and the commotion were all tormenting him at this very moment! He felt no physical pain, and neither did the boy he was rescuing, but the environment now was much worse than he had ever felt before!

After about a minute, Duo noticed the noises have come to a complete stop. He noticed his cap had disappeared - probably swept away by the train - but at least he didn't feel any pain throughout his body. They were still under the train, however. Trying to get a glimpse at what was going on, Duo noticed that the boy was unharmed as well!

"And so the God of Death has survived hell itself..." Duo said to himself and planted his face in the ground before him. He chuckled in relief.

About ten or so minutes later, Duo felt that there were now some hands being laid on him. There were people now pulling him out from under the train, as well as the boy he rescued. They had carried him onto the terminal platform, where there he saw crowds of people gathering around. Duo felt his consciousness coming back quickly, however, so he shrugged off the rescue team trying to help him and stood up.

The boy, however, wasn't as lucky. Duo, limping a little while walking up to the boy, noticed that he had been staring straight upward and did not blink. The boy was safe from the harm the train could have done to him, but was plunged into a state of comatose. Duo noticed the ambulance team now rushing in. They began to place the boy onto a stretcher, while some others went for Duo.

"Hey fellas, I'm fine. Don't worry about me!" Duo said as he tried to resist the grasps of the ambulance men.

"But sir, your friend just survived a traumatic event just like you did. We have to be sure that-..."

"Buddy..." Duo interrupted, "I've been through _way_ worse. You don't know me at all. Read my lips: I'm cool." The ambulance finally let him go and focused their attention on the other boy. Duo could only stand there and watch as they took the boy away. The crowd, after staring at him in awe for the past two minutes, were then asked to evacuate the train station immediately by NERV soldiers.

"Oh Shinji, what an idiot..." The same voice of the girl from earlier came from behind him! Duo turned around, noticing the bitter look on her face.

"That's not a really nice thing to say about your friend, now is it?" Duo asked politely.

"I can't believe of all people, _you_ had to be the one to rescue him!" She uttered in a disgusting tone, "Now I have two idiots in my life!"

Duo gulped, trying to be as calm as he can, "Look, miss...I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I kinda lost my mind while being locked up in jail for a few days, but I'm cool now. So how about we start over and..."

"Lost _your_ mind?" The girl mocked rudely, "I'd like to know your definition of _that_! You probably don't even know there are worse hellholes than just stupid _jail_!"

Duo, once again, tried to keep his cool, "Well, care to share with me, then, miss? I mean, I'm no psychologist, but a beautiful woman like yourself is free to vent whatever problems you want. So go right ahead and shoot, miss..."

"I have a name!" She interrupted loudly.

"And that would be...?"

"_Asuka_." She stated, now appearing a little more calm, "Asuka Langley Soryu."

"In that case..." Duo replied with his cool tone, "Are you in any way or form acquainted with this _Shinji_ guy?"

"I am..." She whispered, more quietly than how she was talking a moment ago.

"And what's your problem with him, exactly?" Duo noticed that Asuka wasn't angry anymore. She now appeared to be more reserved and rather frightened at something. She wasn't glaring into his eyes anymore, but was now looking down once again with despair.

"Everything..." Asuka turned away and walked into the rest of the crowd leaving the vicinity. Duo noticed a sparkle hover in thin air as she turned around. It was wet, he felt. She had just shed a tear.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Terminal Dogma is an area located deep within NERV Headquarters, and is the lowest level of Central Dogma. Flooded with LCL, this area holds the body of the Second Angel known as Lilith. Access to this area is highly restricted. Commonly accessed by Gendo Ikari, Ritsuko Akagi, and Kouzou Fuyutsuki, little is known about this sanctum as a whole.


	10. Chapter 10

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"Hey buddy, you alright there?" Duo asked. It was noon, already two days following the whole train incident and the Angel attack. Duo learned all about the Angels the night before from a long, detailed explanation from Heero the other day.

Now Duo waited patiently next to this hospital bed where the same boy was lying. Duo held in his hands a teddy bear - the most random object he could think of before coming to this hospital - in order to give as a gift to this boy when he woke up. However, over the past two days he visited, he could only see a helpless kid staring upward at the ceiling. Duo sighed, "Guess not..." He turned his back on the boy and made his way for the door.

"W-wait...!" Duo suddenly heard the boy murmur something. He turned, noticing under that oxygen mask the boy was breathing through, he was trying to talk. Duo walked back over to the bed, now noticing the boys' eyes were on him.

"Good morning... Err... Afternoon, buddy!" Duo smiled, "The name's Duo, the guy who saved your butt from the train the other day! And you are... Shinji, I presume?" Duo remembered Asuka mentioning the boy's name was Shinji. Shinji replied with a nod and a small smile.

"Yeah..." He mumbled, then returned his attention to the ceiling. Duo proceeded to placing the teddy bear next to Shinji's left arm. Shinji shot a look at him, "Um... Why d-did you save me?"

"Why did I save you...?" Duo asked confusingly, "Well, why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know..." Shinji whispered.

"I mean, I couldn't bear the thought of having a dead corpse on a railroad now, would I? All life does have value, you know." Duo remarked.

"Right..."

Duo noticed that Shinji wasn't amused at all by seeing his savior. In fact, according to the way he was speaking, he wasn't even happy to be alive. Glancing at the heart rate monitor, Shinji seemed to be in near-perfect condition right now, but what was it that was keeping this boy in the depths of depression? Duo kneeled and rest his head against the side of the bed, hoping there was some way to cheer him up.

"Did you know that girl, Asuka, by any chance?" Duo asked.

"Yeah..."

"Friend? Sister? Girlfriend?" Duo raised his head in excitement at his answer.

"None of the above... But she's sort of a friend, I guess." Shinji replied.

"Well..." Duo paused, trying to think of something to say, "Ever get the feeling that she's kinda, you know, into you or something?"

"Me?" Shinji said looking a bit irritated, "Of course not." He whispered.

"I see. But she seemed pretty nice and all-..." Duo paused to think about what he was saying. _Asuka wasn't nice at all. In fact, she was a total witch to him if anything_! Duo had to finish what he was about to say, "I'd say you oughta get to know her more."

Duo noticed that Shinji sat up from his bed! Shinji took the teddy bear, and ripped its head off! He threw both parts of its body towards Duo, hitting him on the face! Enraged, Shinji pulled off the oxygen mask and began to speak.

"LOOK! I don't need this right now, okay?! I just want to be left alone! So for my sake, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, PLEASE!" Shinji roared but suddenly began to cough immensely! The nurse came running in and immediately began to care for Shinji by helping him back against the bed.

"Sir, I'll have to politely ask you to leave. You're making this patient uncomfortable, and you're not helping with his recovery. Please leave the room." She calmly asked as she did a swaying motion with her hand, indicating him to exit through the door. Duo sighed and stood up, making his way out the door.

"I'm sorry..." Duo murmured to himself with his hands in his pockets.

He looked back at the teddy bear on the floor which he tried to give Shinji. He was still smiling, although the rest of his body was permanently detached from his head, now. Duo wondered for a moment what Shinji was possibly going through that made him so upset. He tried to commit suicide the other night! Now outside of the hospital room, Duo paused in the middle of the hallway, thinking about Shinji. Just like Asuka, there was bound to be some form of happiness in the two of them. There was something about that smiling, decapitated teddy bear he saw ripped in half that could just relate to them. The tear that Asuka shed the other night, and the outburst of rage from Shinji.

"I guess that they just need a hug, or something..." Duo dreadfully whispered to himself, "Either way, Duo, you failed again for the second time in a row..."

As Duo entered the elevator, he crossed his arms and slanted his head downward. Laying back against the walls of the elevator, he stared blankly towards his new sneakers - the ones he bought with the money Heero was given. At least something about this new home could make him happy, for now.

* * *

><p>"I won't do it." Heero said before twelve enormous pillars, whom he was told were called "SEELE." He stood in a very dark room, with only a light from above gleaming down at him dimly.<p>

"How absurd of you to turn down this demand of ours. You succeeded in thwarting the most recent being with Eva Unit 01. Are you saying that you're refusing to protect your new home?" The pillar labeled, _SEELE 01 Sound Only _spoke out loud.

"Except it wasn't even me. I've been doing studying of my own and learned all about the Berserker Mode of the Eva Units, and have even observed footage of the stage in action. Had I not been ejected from the cockpit, I would have perished."

"To be fair, the boy does have a point." Commander Ikari exclaimed, approaching from behind, "Perhaps there's another solution to where he wouldn't have to pilot the Eva Unit again?"

"Well, tell us first and foremost, what were the circumstances of his first experience inside of the Evangelion? How does it differ from the standard displayed by your son the first time _he_ piloted the unit, Ikari?" The pillar labeled _SEELE 03_ spoke this time.

"You're talking on an all-new scale of failure. Heero's synchronization with the unit was abysmal! He must have made it out the alive by the skin of his teeth, if anything! Just imagine if we kept him in there much further."

The surrounding pillars paused. Heero simply swayed his eyes from side to side, observing their stillness and hypothesizing what the people communicating through them were thinking. He didn't know enough about SEELE, other than the fact that Commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki would contact them every so often.

"Alright, then, Ikari. You win. Now what is your proposal for this boy's future? A monster that couldn't be classified as an Angel just attacked your city, and how do you know that will be the last?"

"I am fully aware that we should be weary of any future assault on Tokyo-3, or even the rest of the world for that matter. In the meantime, while the plan isn't complete yet, I hope to let you know that a new project is underway." Gendo remarked, "You have my word that I'll detail you on this project in the near future. This boy will be the next to learn every aspect of what's to come his way. _After all, he is quite valuable to me_."

"You had better. This is the last time you will act without our consulting, Gendo Ikari." SEELE 01 declared.

Immediately, the pillars surrounding the two vanished into thin air. The room was no longer dark. Instead, it was fully lit and the walls appeared to be a light, greenish tint. Heero felt Gendo's hand on his shoulder. Turning to him, Gendo simply nodded. The two of them turned towards the exit, not saying a word to one another.

* * *

><p>Duo yawned. He knew his friend would be out all day doing business with NERV. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he leaned back to lay on the soft grass of the hospital grounds. Over to his side, he found a bed of roses - red and lavender. He reached over and picked one up, then brought it to his face and sniffed in the fragrant scent from this delicate flower. He then held it in front of his face and noticed it was much darker than the other lavender rose, almost black.<p>

"Well, it's not a black rose but it's certainly the closest mankind will ever get to it!" Duo said, looking at the flower confusingly, "Say... There is something about this color that rings a bell." He paused, suddenly studying it a bit closer, particularly the color, "But I'm not sure which bell I'm thinking of...-"

"Hey!"

Duo jumped! Looking upward, the sun was being blocked by something! He gasped, scattered onto his feet, and took the posture of a clichéd terrified person! However, he realized that it was just some boy who walked in from behind just to say hi. This guy was a little shorter than him. He also had light brown hair, freckles, and wore large, circular glasses.

"Oh hey kid. You really scared me there, buddy." Duo chuckled a little as he returned to standing normally.

"Eh-heh sorry about that. I just saw you walk out of my friend's room in the hospital so was just curious to meet the guy who saved his life the other night!" The boy said.

"Wait wha? How did you know?"

"You were on TV?"

Duo paused again, feeling a little flattered. Duo blushed, "That's funny. The last time I was on TV, I was on some kind of most-wanted ad. But hey, now that those days are over, I guess it wouldn't hurt being a superhero now."

"Everybody knows how you saved the NERV Commander's son's life!" The guy stated.

Duo jumped again, "The C-Commander's son?! The kid of the tall dude who's all serious and stuff?"

"Yep, Shinji Ikari is his name. The pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. Not sure why the other guy was manning the cockpit from the stories I've heard, but you wouldn't believe how many times he's saved the world from utter demise!"

"Damn, I'll bet. I'm sure he pilots the thing way better than Heero did." Duo turned around and looked upward where the windows of the hospital rooms were. He whispered to himself, "Shinji Ikari, huh? You weren't even a soldier like I was yet you could save the day as a normal fella."

"Y-you were a soldier?" The boy asked when he heard Duo express the 'soldier' part a little loudly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Aren't you only like a day older than me?" The boy replied, fixing his glasses and looking at Duo confusingly.

"Eh, not really. I mean..." Duo paused once again and remembered that this wasn't the same world as his. _Kids don't grow up in wars and pilot giant mobile suits in this world_, he thought. Awkwardly, he had to utter something, "Well... I guess it's a long story. All of the commotion from the train must've been getting into my head!" Duo exclaimed, chuckling a little afterwards.

"Okay, then..." The boy shrugged, then held his hand out to shake hands with Duo, "It was an honor to meet the guy who rescued my friend!"

"No problem...!" Duo paused when he didn't even know the kid's name.

"Kensuke. Aida Kensuke!" He responded, "And you are...?"

"Duo Maxwell, my friend! Was a pleasure meeting one of Shinji's buddies!" Duo smiled and exclaimed.

Kensuke turned and head for the front entrance to the hospital. However, Duo remembered he still had some questions regarding Shinji's current condition. If Kensuke was Shinji's friend, Duo knew that he would be the best person to ask such a question. Duo raised his hands and called out to him again:

"Yo, Kensuke!" Duo shouted. Kensuke stopped right before the sliding double doors as Duo caught up with him, "One question. Do you have any idea why Shinji's been, y'know, upset?"

Kensuke shook his head, "Well, it all happened a few months ago. I don't even know what happened on that day. Since then, I've barely even got to see him. If you're just asking my opinion on the matter, Shinji's seems to be forcing himself just to live life right now. You were fortunate that you saved him from a suicide attempt." Kensuke shrugged as he walked inside.

Duo turned around and put his hands in his pockets. _So it was a suicide attempt_, or at least it was very likely that it was. He just wanted to know more about what could have possibly rendered the kid in such an awful shape. As Duo walked along the sidewalk with the now-setting sun following him, this thought simply lingered in his head.

* * *

><p>"Hey, buddy! You back yet?" Duo said, taking off his new black cap and placing it on the coat rack. Much to his surprise, upon walking past the kitchen, he found Heero sitting there and doing more intensive studying on papers and books! Duo walked up and took the seat on the kitchen table next to him, "Aren't you gonna say, 'Good evening, Duo!'"<p>

"I'm busy." Heero responded.

Duo put on a blank face then lay back against his seat. Reaching over to the table of papers, he grabbed a random one and began to read it, "School registration forms for Tokyo-3 High School**[1]**. Wow, sounds like a plan! We finally get to go back to living the normal life, huh?"

"Not necessarily." Heero murmured as he placed one document down to pick up another.

"Come on, Heero." Duo said as he nudged his friend's arm, "You gotta be a little more optimistic, now. No more wars, no more mobile suits, no more killing OZ soldiers one after the other!"

Heero shot a glare at Duo upon him saying that last part of the sentence. Duo backed away to the edge of his seat. With his palms raised, he admitted, "Alright, that wasn't cool of me."

"Tomorrow's a Monday and we start school tomorrow. Misato came by and dropped off the uniforms we will wear for the upcoming semester. We'll be sticking to the attire on a day-to-day basis on weekdays. However, we're merely doing this to blend in. There's still a mission at hand." Heero announced quietly.

"There's definitely a mission on _your _hand, but unless you decide to fill me in sometime would I join in." Duo stood up with a little disappointment, "So where are those uniforms anyw-...?"

"Closet." Heero silently interrupted.

Duo crossed the small hallway to the bedroom. Finding the little closet on one wall, he immediately peeked inside. Searching for the uniforms, Duo then laid eyes at what appeared to be the same shirt and pants that Kensuke was wearing earlier and what Shinji wore the night of the incident. Not to mention, several other boys around town wore this same outfit.

"Looks like a perfect fit. If this is what's hot here in Tokyo-3, I like it!" Duo grinned as he took one of the shirts and held it in front of him to compare its size with his own.

Minutes later, Duo dug out of a drawer in the closet a pair of pajamas for sleeping. The sun was already down, as he'd be walking around the city for hours, and he was already getting tired. He head to bathroom first and immediately turned on the bathtub faucet. Pulling off his new - now mildly dirty- clothes, he hopped into the hot water, Duo stretched his body out and calmed every muscle in his body.

"This is _so_ relaxing..." Duo said to himself, humming a random melody that came to his head, "Haven't felt this way since back when the colonies were still in one piece!"

Looking at the opposite end of the bath, another thought hit Duo in the head. He felt relieved soaking his naked body in the relaxing hot water, but something about today just didn't seem right. These past three days, he had already gotten a glimpse of two fellow kids of this new world: Asuka and Shinji. Somehow, he felt that they were really cool people inside, despite the fact that he failed to please them at the slightest. He wanted to know the both of them more. Perhaps they were just lost souls trying to find themselves? He wouldn't know. Out of the feel of sheer stupidity, he splashed a little water in front of him, then rest his head back against the walls of the bath.

"Duo...What were you doing to them? If you weren't such an idiot with trying to make them smile, maybe you wouldn't feel so...Guilty."

He lay in the bath for about ten more minutes, then head out of the tub to drain the water. Putting on his pajamas, he head out of the bathroom then straight for the bedroom. He turned his head to the side, finding Heero still studying.

"It's not even the first day of school yet you have a truckload of homework, huh? Makes perfect sense to me!" Duo sarcastically remarked.

"Will you shut up? I'll be up late tonight with all this work I have to catch up with." Heero said.

"Hey, I was just kidding. Chill out." Duo replied, "But seriously, man, I'd really wish you could just tell me what's on your mind for once. I care about you, pal, and I worry about you, too. I hope you know that." Duo explained solemnly.

"Alright." Heero replied, without even looking back at his friend.

Duo sighed. He slowly walked into the bedroom, then laid on the soft sleeping mat on the ground. Wrapping the blanket around him, he began to drift to sleep unhappily.

* * *

><p>It had been hours since Duo went to sleep. Heero was losing count of how much studying of all of these NERV-related texts had to be done. There was still much more to learn, and so far he hadn't even finished learning the organic make-up of the Eva Units<strong>[2]<strong>, yet. He was overwhelmed by how much the history of this Earth differed from that of his own world. There were so many questions, but so few answers.

Heero was no longer at the apartment, but was now lurking NERV Headquarters, holding tightly to a cluttered hand filled with paperwork. There had to be somewhere here who could help him - Misato, Ritsuko, Gendo, Rei, anybody. At this point, he didn't care where he got the answers, just as long as he had them.

Wandering aimlessly through halls, he hoped to find somebody. It was really late at night, and as he figured, there was nobody.

"_Hello, Heero_." There was a voice calling him from somewhere! It sounded nothing like Rei, but instead it was a boy speaking to him. Checking the map of Central Dogma, he now tried to trace where possible he could trace this voice.

He dashed along the empty hallways, still having little to no luck finding a soul. Alas, he then stopped in his footsteps when suddenly he noticed a thin stream of water flowing slowly from a half-open double door. Heero noticed the door wasn't automatically opened, and so he forced the two sides of the door opened. The trail of this water was more visible now, and he now realized that this was some sort of bathroom.

Heero looked ahead, and now gazed upon the giant bath in the center of the room. However, he immediately discovered this room wasn't unoccupied. A figure stood in the bath with its ankles being soaked in the water. As Heero walked closer to see who it was, the image of this figure became more visible. There stood a boy - was as tall as he, wore the same school uniform as every other boy in Tokyo-3, had very pale skin, and had thick, light-grayish hair.

The boy stepped forward with a slight smile on his face, "Welcome, Heero Yuy."

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>The name of the school that Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Kensuke, etc. attend is never explicitly stated. However, it deeply resembles a typical private school scenario.

**[2] **The Evangelion units are actually not regular giant robots. They are, instead, living organic creatures equipped with cybernetic machinery in order to perform controlled tasks. They are partially composed from samples of the First Angel, Adam, thus hold many traits of the angel, including a core (referred to as an S2 Engine) and various regenerative abilities.


	11. Chapter 11

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

"Do not be afraid, _Heero Yuy_. I did not come to bring you any harm." The boy murmured. Heero stood there, frozen at the thought of what possible business that he had with him.

"Who are you?" Heero asked quietly, clenching his fists in order to prepare for the worst. How this boy found him, pursued him - all of this was a mystery to Heero. _How did he know where to find him and how did he know his name_?

"You are in the presence of an Angel. Why are you so reluctant to speak to me?" He asked.

"An _Angel_?" Heero responded. At that moment, the boy slowly walked towards him. Heero stepped back, but suddenly felt his body pushing against another object - a wall, an invisible one! The boy chuckled.

"Silly young man, what are you so afraid of?" He grinned a little, "I've only come to chat, is all. You seem to be overwhelmingly afraid of nothing."

Heero returned to him a glare, "In that case, why don't you just tell me who you are?"

"Of course, you may refer to me as Kaworu Nagisa. If you prefer to call me by a more proper name, _Tabris_**[1]**is the name." The boy stated.

"Tabris..." Heero recited to himself, "You are an Angel."

"Didn't I just say that you were in the presence of one?" Kaworu smiled a little with a brief shrug, then raised out his hand to beckon him to follow, "Come, I'd like to show you something."

Heero didn't say a word. He walked besides Kaworu, approaching the bath. As Heero stared straight down at the clear, still water, he felt a rush of frustration arousing his being.

"Alright… So?" Heero whispered a bit bitterly.

"Tell me, what do you wish for this world to become?" Kaworu asked. Heero gave no answer. Kaworu tilted his head to look at Heero, "Do tell me."

"How do you want me to answer that question?"

Kaworu's smile now turned into a more blank face, "Surely it can't be that hard to answer. I am only curious."

"I suppose I don't want it to end up like my home world." Heero responded briefly.

"I see, very good…" Kaworu returned his attention to the bath waters, "Now tell me more, Heero, I'd like to know what do you think, _feel_ about the universe in general?"

This was an even more difficult question than the last for Heero. He looked slightly upward at the walls reading "NERV" on it. All that came to mind when looking at these large letters was the fact that their world was much different from his – ideals, philosophies, etc. A world full of Angels, supposed servants of a higher being that he did not believe in.

Kaworu turned his head towards Heero once more, "What do you believe in beyond billions of universes?"

"_Nothing_." Heero replied, staring once more towards the water, "Absolutely nothing."

"Is that so?"

"If what you're trying to ask me is if I believe in a higher power – stronger than multitudes of worlds – than I believe in none."

"Than what exactly do you advocate?"

"Potential lies solely within the individual, and he or she can only bring change through their thoughts and actions alone." Heero replied. Kaworu paused.

"I see." Kaworu nodded and looked back down towards the water, "I see that you're not too different from me."

The boys now had their undivided attention at the water before them. Heero had no idea why he, too, was looking into a useless bath. Why Kaworu had followed him here was the main mystery, however.

Suddenly, as Heero observed the pool even closer, strange little symbols began to form within the floor of the bath. Several glowing lines in random motions scorched across the floor, forming into a message-like fashion. Heero studied the formations of these strange characters being drawn on the floor. After a few minutes, the lines stopped appearing, and what now lay across the floor were glowing symbols of some kind of text.

"What is this?" Heero asked.

"It's only a piece of information vital to you in your journey." Kaworu responded.

"Tell me, then." Heero turned to Kaworu, "What do they mean?"

"Did you not just say you don't believe in a God?"

"Well, I don't."

"What you have here is a token from I. I have provided you with a remnant of philosophy far beyond your understanding. I leave it open to you now for your own interpretation." Kaworu said and stepped back.

Heero glared at Kaworu with more resentment than ever, "You said this was vital to me. You will tell me this instant what these symbols mean, Tabris. Or else I'll…" Heero brought up one of his fists in front of him, ready to strangle Kaworu at any moment now.

"Kill me?" Kaworu asked, "I guess you don't know yet that I've already passed on from this world. That will do you no good." Kaworu continued smiling. Heero lowered his hands, and Kaworu immediately continued, "You have a long way to go in this world, Heero Yuy. You will continue to learn much more, maybe even more than what you've just witnessed. All I can do is wish you luck in this journey. You will need it."

Kaworu winked. He turned around and walked towards the way that Heero came in through. Heero followed shortly after, but as soon as Kaworu left his sight, the white-haired boy was nowhere to be found in the dark hallways, _at all_.

* * *

><p>"Okay, class! Today we have two new transfer students today. Let's kindly introduce them after they write their names on the board!" The teacher announced as Duo waited silently outside the door.<p>

"Hey, Heero! Come on, now's not the time to be shy!" Duo excitingly announced, nudging his friend, "It's time to meet new people!" Duo paused when suddenly the teacher beckoned him to go on in. He did so, and the teacher handed him a piece of chalk. Before turning his head to his new classmates, he first wrote his name on the board in fine, cursive handwriting, 'Duo Maxwell'.

"Well, hello Duo. A pleasure it is to have you in our class." The teacher remarked, "Why don't you tell us a brief fact about yourself?" She added.

"Well…" Duo paused, trying to think of a decent fact to tell the class, "I guess you can say I'm the grim reaper's partner-in-crime who's a part-time student every now and then?" Duo said embarrassingly. However, it seems the entire class burst out laughing! Duo briefly chuckled at the lame joke he cracked.

"Very funny, Duo." The teacher giggled, "How about you introduce us to your friend out there? But first, why don't you take a seat next to Mr. Aida over there?" Duo noticed that Kensuke was in the front row of desks, and there was a vacant one right next to him.

"Don't mind if I do!" Duo walked to his desk carefree. The entire class had their attention on him at how appealing he was being on his first day of school. However, they were now awaiting the next new student to come in, wherever he was. It had been about a minute, and nobody walked in.

"Does he not want to introduce himself? I mean, if he doesn't, than it's perfectly…" The teacher asked, but was interrupted by Duo.

"Nah, of course he wants to introduce himself!" Duo looked around and noticed one boy in a surrounding desk had a straw with a small, wet piece of paper stuffed in it. Duo snatched the straw out of his hands, and immediately blew from one end of the straw! Out of the other end, the small piece of paper flew out in the shape of a spitball and went flying towards Heero!

"Mr. Maxwell!" The teacher gasped in shock. The entire class started laughing again! However, Heero stormed into the room, appearing to Duo in his typical soldier-angry look! The entire class suddenly stopped laughing, and was now looking directly towards Heero who looked like he was going to kill someone. However, Duo then noticed his friend returned to a calmer state. Heero took the small piece of chalk and wrote his name on the board below Duo, then turned towards the class.

"Heero Yuy." Heero had announced shortly and walked over to his seat on the far left corner of the classroom. From there, he sat there quietly with his elbows on the table, his fingers intertwined, and his eyes closed.

"Alright, class. I hope you all treat Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Yuy with your utmost respect." The teacher smiled and announced, "In order to kick off this new semester, I have a five to ten minute meeting this morning I must attend. Please take at least five minutes of your time to take the survey that, under commands of NERV, has required all public facilities to conduct. You will find the sheets on my table. Thank you!" She said and exited the room.

Duo was the first to stand up to get to her desk and swipe one sheet. However, noticing Heero wasn't moving from his spot, Duo took another. He then took the other sheet he took, and crafted it gently into a paper airplane! The entire class now paused to see how this would turn out. Thus, Duo threw the plane in Heero's direction! Without even moving from his spot or even looking to see where it would land, Heero reached out his arm and grabbed it with one hand, opened it up, and took out a pencil to begin work on it! The entire class started laughing again at the humorous situation that Duo put up.

Duo head back to his seat, noticing that Kensuke was already answering the questions on the test.

"Kensuke, my man!" Duo grinned as he got Kensuke's attention, "This is a shocker, no? Had no idea that you went to this school!"

Kensuke blushed embarrassingly, "You were shocked? Well, there really isn't much of a choice of place to study here in Tokyo-3. After all, why else would we all be wearing the same school uniforms?"

Duo fidgeted, "Oh, right. Hehe." He proceeded to answering the questions on the survey.

_1: How concerned are you with the safety of civilians during red alert situations?_ Duo had no idea how to answer this one. He wasn't even remotely knowledgeable of how the city has been holding up in the past couple years or so and yet was in one piece. He shrugged, took out his pencil, and wrote 'No idea.'

_2: How well has Gendo Ikari's new plan for the city have been accommodating you?_ This was yet another question that he couldn't really answer. He knew that Heero had already met him face to face, but to Duo, this Commander guy was probably a typical military general character. Not to mention, he learned the day before that he was Shinji's dad. Duo had no idea what to write, so he jotted down, 'He's a great man with great plans for the city. I'd say he's done a fine job with handling Tokyo-3'.

He skimmed through the questions a little more, and many of them almost asked the same thing: _How well has NERV done this or that for you? _Duo just put down his pencil and rose from his desk to place the incomplete survey on the teacher's desk. Returning to his desk, Duo noticed that Kensuke had completed his copy of the survey.

"You know, Duo, I've never realized NERV having this much power over us in the past few months." Kensuke remarked.

"Oh?"

"Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure you're aware that Commander Ikari has undergone some vast improvements for the city, especially after you know what happened."

"Wait, what happened? Care to fill me in on this?"

"I can't really explain it to you, since I'm, of course, one of those civilians expected to stay in the shelters during Angel attacks."

"Heh," Duo chuckled, "What happened, some sort of nuke dropped on top of the city and now this Gendo Ikari guy is working to rebuild it?"

"Actually, you're actually quite correct. Except it wasn't just any kind of nuclear bomb."

Duo flinched, "Wait, wha?"

"Again, I'm not the one to ask all of these questions. I wish I knew, but you know, classified information kept in NERV Archives and whatnot. My knowledge of the whole ordeal is limited." Kensuke said as he returned his copy of the survey to the teacher's desk.

"Don't worry, buddy, I don't blame you." Duo smiled and now began to look around the room. However, it wasn't long before he saw some familiar faces! One the opposite corner of the room where Heero was sitting, there was a girl with short, light blue hair and stared out the window blankly. That must've been the same blue-haired girl that Heero had mentioned who orientated him into NERV – Rei.

"Something the matter, Duo?" Kensuke asked.

"Oh no, not at all! Nah!" Duo exclaimed as he glanced towards the way back of the room.

Of course, Duo found not only one familiar face, but there were two more. There was Asuka about four seats behind him, who appeared to be writing her survey in a rather upset manner. Duo wasn't too surprised to find her in this kind of mood, again – the same attitude she showed to him at the train station from days ago. All Duo knew was that she was just angry at something, and he only wished he could help.

There was also – about two seats to her left – Shinji who was looking down at his survey like it wasn't even there. Duo was glad that Shinji was back in perfect health, almost. Shinji wasn't even holding his pencil. He was agonizingly staring at the wooden desk before him, all dazed and miserable. Duo finally saw Shinji move after a whole five minutes of just watching him stare at it. Shinji stood up from his desk, walked over next to the teacher's desk, and tossed the blank survey into the trash can.

"What's his problem?" Duo asked Kensuke.

"Eh, you see…" Kensuke responded but was immediately interrupted when the door flung open.

"Okay, class! Sorry about that little intermission!" The teacher announced, "Now, Duo and Heero, why don't you come pick up the textbooks under your desk. In the meantime, class, I'd like you all to turn to page two-hundred and twelve, please!"

* * *

><p>Duo's first class period of the day seemed to go by just fine. The bell had rung and the teacher dismissed her students. Duo and Kensuke stood up and made their way out of the door and into the school hallways.<p>

"So what were you gonna say to me earlier, buddy?" Duo asked as he held his textbook and notebooks against his waist.

The boys stopped in the middle of the hallway, "Well, I've told you already that he really hasn't been himself lately because of reas-…"

"Speak of the devil…" Duo whispered when suddenly he noticed Shinji walk in between them! Duo could only see that Shinji was limping slightly with a tape recorder in his hands and was walking aimlessly. Duo murmured, "Man, you have no idea how sorry I feel for the guy…"

"Wish there was more I could do, too." Kensuke added, "But hey, you seemed to have gotten the whole class on their laughs just an hour ago. You should probably have a great idea to make him smile or something."

"You've known him longer, Kensuke. Why don't you try to cheer him up yourself?" Duo asked.

Kensuke shrugged, "I don't know. I just…Don't." Kensuke's eyes widened suddenly.

Duo waved his hand in front of Kensuke's face, "Hey Kensuke. What's up?" Duo turned around to see what was happening.

"Do you have the SLIGHTEST idea of how much trouble you'll get into with having this in your possession?!" Asuka yelled out loud to, apparently, Heero.

Duo and Kensuke were both frozen in their places when they saw what was just happening at this very moment! Asuka was waving a gun – a pistol – in Heero's face. Heero's locker was open, which is where probably Asuka found it. There was also a crowd of several students surrounding the two, each with the same, shocked expression that Duo and Kensuke were showing right now.

"That idiot…" Duo uttered.

"Just let the administration or the police deal with him! We best get out of her before he starts-!"

"No dude, I swear he won't start any kind of killing spree in this neck of the woods. But seriously, I don't know why the hell he carries that thing around on him all the time, even to school of all places!" Duo disdainfully remarked and charged through the crowd. Pushing through several people in his way, he hoped to reach the two quarrelers before the situation got worse.

"I've seen this gun before. NERV property, huh? What are you, Misato's boy or something?" Asuka mockingly questioned.

"No. So hand it back." Heero prompted her silently.

"Making demands of me, huh?" Asuka mocked again, "This is the new Student Council President**[2]** you're talking to, here! It looks like you're about to face a thirty-day suspension if there's anything _I'll hand you_!"

Duo jumped in between his friend and Asuka, "Now hold up just a minute, you two." Duo calmly interrupted them, turning to Heero first, "Listen, buddy, you can't bring firearms to school. Not only is it bad, but you could get into a lot of serious trouble, okay?" Duo thought about what he was saying and how foolish it sounded. He knew that Heero knew all this by dumb common sense, but of course, Duo only wanted Heero to get out of this without getting into any serious trouble in the future.

"Duo." Heero remarked, "I'm authorized to carry that around with me."

"Oh, are you now?" Duo bluffed.

Heero reached into his locker, pulled out a badge that read "NERV" on it. It looked pretty legit to Duo, but he still had some mild doubts about what kind of authority it gave him.

"I've been authorized by Commander Ikari that I'm now amongst the ranks of NERV Guard. I've been doing a favor for the students of this school by guarding them from any incoming threat from the outside. Make any sense to you?" Heero explained sternly.

Asuka looked at him confusingly, "Why didn't you tell me sooner that _that _was why you were concealing this thing?"

Heero, with a swift motion, swiped the gun out of Asuka's hand, "You wouldn't let me speak." Heero shoved the gun back into his locker, closed the locker, and took his books with him across the hallway. The crowd around them scattered back to doing their own thing.

"Great, so this new idiot is friends with another idiot in my life." Asuka grumbled to herself, but noticed that Duo was looking at her in shame, "What are_ you_ looking at? Get to class, you pervert!" Asuka held her notebooks tightly against her chest and made her way about the hallways.

Kensuke was walking beside Duo once more towards the opposite direction that Asuka head. He spoke out of nowhere, "That Asuka is kind of cute. Don't you think?"

"I guess, though she's definitely tough as nails."

"You have no idea." Kensuke added as he walked into his next classroom, "Oh, you have the same class as me again? That's…Awesome!"

"Yep, you bet it is!" Duo calmly declared as he followed Kensuke in.

Suddenly, a girl coming out of the class bumped into him! She was only a little shorter than he, and had short, but very dark hair – as black as a raven. She had dropped one of her books on the ground, which Duo immediately leaned down to help her pick it up.

"Oh, sorry miss! Didn't see you there!" Duo jumped and said. However, she didn't respond and Duo just watched as she walked out of his sight upon returning her book.

"Hey Duo, you coming?" Kensuke asked him as he already took his seat.

"Yeah…" Duo responded quietly, "I'm coming…"

* * *

><p>The entire school day had passed, and it went by without problems save for the whole incident with Asuka and Heero. Students were flooding out of the building here and there to catch public busses, taking their bikes, or just to hang out around the campus with their friends. Duo walked out of the building with Kensuke, a little unknown where he was going to head next.<p>

"You really are some kind of phenomenal person, Duo. I've never seen anybody make Mr. Kenta**[2]** laugh like_ that_ before."

"It's what I do, I guess." Duo shrugged.

_Hey Duo, come hang out with us_! Duo heard some girl yell from behind him. He only saw a group of preppy, popular boys and girls hanging out near a tree and were all looking at him to invite him over. _Hey Duo, how good's your throw? Don't hang out with that nerd, Aida, come on and play some basketball! _Duo heard the invitations from kids across the premises one after the other.

"You really do have a school full of Asukas, don't you?" Duo asked Kensuke, trying to ignore the several invitations into their gangs.

"Don't you want to be a part of the popular kids' groups?"

"I certainly don't wanna single out anybody on my first day of school. There's just so much to see, so much to do, and tons of people to meet! I was wondering, actually, if you could show me around town a little more. "

"I-I'd be honored, really!" Kensuke shyly said and smiled a little bit, with a small sweat dropping down his forehead, "In fact, it may not be the best starting point, but there is a new arcade downtown that I've wanted to visit. Care to join along?"

"I'm game! I haven't been too exposed to video games**[3] **before, so why not give it a try? Heh." Duo exclaimed.

"Come on, Shinji, you idiot! We have errands to do and we don't have until Christmas!" Asuka's loud voice was heard from behind them. The boys turned, noticing that Shinji was running out of the school building and darting towards Asuka.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Shinji yelled back. Shinji stopped in front of Asuka, huffing and puffing in place while holding his books weakly to his side.

"Idiot…" Asuka bitterly insulted. She walked out of the premises with Shinji following shortly after. Duo and Kensuke remained quiet until they were finally out of their sights. Duo thought about them walking together, and now concluded that he was right that those two have some kind of relationship going on.

Duo nudged Kensuke, "When was Christmas, again?"

"It's the end of August. Christmas actually isn't that far from now." Kensuke answered.

Duo suddenly noticed Heero walk in front of him. Trying to catch his attention, Duo spoke, "Hey, Heero! Kensuke and I are going downtown to hang out at the arcade. Wanna come along?"

"Not interested." Heero responded. He left the campus grounds and walked across the street. Duo noticed that Rei was on the other side of the street, waiting for Heero, presumably. Duo and Kensuke began walking out of the premises, too, and now began the walk to downtown Tokyo-3.

"I'm a little more interested learning about your friend." Kensuke asked.

"Heero?"

"Yes, him. He seems to be as silent as Rei. I thought one was enough but now that we have him, not to mention he's now meeting up with her. Are quiet people magnetically linked or something? Either way, I think things are just bound to get more interesting!" Kensuke remarked.

"Nah, being friends with Heero isn't necessarily a fun thing. I admit, these days I care for him like a brother, except, even in these times of peace, he still can't seem to find any happiness in his life at all. Being a soldier and all doesn't help, either." Duo dreadfully exclaimed.

"Could you tell me then about your experiences as a soldier?" Kensuke looked at Duo curiously,

Duo chuckled, "Alright, buddy. You seemed fascinated by that fact yesterday, so I might as well spit it out. It's a long story, though. I gotta warn you!" Duo smirked.

* * *

><p>"You have a test today." Rei spoke softly.<p>

"Hm?" Heero replied briefly.

"On chapters fourteen through sixteen, the organic make-up of the Angels. Have you read them?" Rei asked.

"Yes. There is one study I hope to pursue, however." Heero murmured back, with the symbols he looked upon the other night in the bathtub in his mind.

"You are free to learn of whatever you wish. Do inform me of the specifics of this study, however."

Rei began to walk along the sidewalk, with Heero following slowly behind. Heero thought for a moment of all of the books he's been given involving the structure and business of NERV, directly from the deepest part of the archives. _Was this an honor? Or was it a curse?_

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Tabris is the seventeenth angel and takes the form of a human boy commonly known as Kaworu Nagisa. Kaworu is notable for briefly being the pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. He is, like Rei, an Angel that takes the form of a Lilin (homo sapiens). Unlike Rei whom was created with DNA from Yui Ikari and Lilith, Kaworu was cloned from DNA directly from Adam, the First Angel. Kaworu is classified as a kind, intelligent young boy whom cares deeply for protagonist Shinji Ikari. Ultimately, it is revealed Kaworu was sent by SEELE in order to infiltrate Terminal Dogma in NERV to find the crucified giant of Adam, but turned out to be Lilith, instead. Kaworu is ultimately killed by Evangelion Unit 01 by his own desire and request.

**[2] **Just a heads-up that this is totally non-canon. In order to make the story flow a little better, I will be making up a lot of random (but very, very minor) events of things that didn't happen and names of non-existent characters in the Evangelion universe.

**[3] **Once again, non-canon business, except this refers to the Gundam Wing universe. In this case, I'm not even fully aware of the series' extracurricular approach, as it's never stated let alone implied.


	12. Chapter 12

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Heero paid vital attention to this last question, _What is the primary power source of the Angel, as well as located in one of these hence one should kill it_? To kill an Angel, that's what was on his mind. Sure, these weren't the angels he had been thinking of, but yet he found it unbelievable that they would nickname the monsters after such graceful creatures. Something compelled him to think that way, but he had no clue why.

"Heero." Rei uttered suddenly, signaling him to return to the question at hand. She had been standing in the same computer room for the past hour already, just patiently waiting for him to finish. That had been the most silent room in all of NERV Headquarters during that hour, only occupied by those two.

Heero acknowledged Rei's call, and raised his head back towards the monitor in front of him. He clicked "S2 Engine, located within the core**[1]**", which he knew to be the core of all of the Angels. Alas, he had finished, and immediately printed out his test to a nearby printer.

"Howdy, Heero! How have you been?" A cheerful voice pierced the silence in the room. Heero turned and found it to be Misato, whom he hadn't seen for days. Before Heero could even speak, she exclaimed, "You seem to have been working pretty hard lately. Lets see the scores of this test and I'll be the judge of that." She walked over to the printer and picked up the copy of Heero's test, and began to study his answers. Scanning them very carefully, as she appeared, she gulped after a moment, "Heero..."

"Hm?" Heero replied.

"Oh, nothing... See Commander Ikari when you're done here, okay?" Misato nodded calmly and gently placed the papers back in his hands. She silently walked out of the door and went on her way.

Heero then turned to Rei, who was staring right at him. She nodded, telling him it was time to go. She arrived at the door out of the room, shut off the lights. Heero followed her shortly in the darkness, and closed the door the moment he left. He realized he left the monitor on, and it was the only light left inside, but it didn't matter now. He only wanted to confront Ikari once more, hoping that he would help Heero with some better answers.

* * *

><p>"Do you ever feel like we should've brought him along?" Duo asked Kensuke after taking a small sip of his soda.<p>

"Who?" Kensuke replied, confused.

"Shinji, of course."

"I really haven't done anything with him in a while, honestly... It may just be better for him to be left alone for now." Kensuke remarked as they continued walking along the sidewalk.

"That's nonsense, buddy. What exactly was it that you to did with him before that..._while_?" Duo asked as he shot his empty soda can into a nearby public trash can.

"Well... We went camping the day I met him, you see, and it didn't necessarily end well**[2]**."

Duo scratched his chin to think, but within seconds the light bulb shined above his head with a brilliant idea, "Say, Kensuke, how about...?"

"Please Duo, can we not?" Kensuke replied with mild hostility, "We just came back from having a blast at that arcade, and now you're asking me to do something that's really not necessary right now."

"But don't you want to help your friend out?"  
>"I don't know why you care for him so much, no offense. Get him a psychologist or something, but please, just drop it!" Kensuke added and shook his head, and started walking without Duo.<p>

Duo whispered to himself, "You think that'd somebody would've gotten him a psychologist already... But nope, I guess I'll try something before that happens."

It was sunset now and the streets were rather empty. Duo couldn't simply bear another day at school tomorrow looking at two kids suffer from emotional distress. He had to help somehow. He ran after Kensuke and placed his hand on his shoulder, and forced him to look in his direction.

"Look, buddy. I know you care for him a lot more than I do. What I'm trying to ask you to do isn't for me, but for him. If I didn't want to help him, then I would've let him die by the train!" Duo explained with declaration, "I need your help, Kensuke, and you're probably the best one to come to. Of course we're no solution to the problem, but hey, we can help, can't we?"

Kensuke stared for a moment, sweating. Duo could tell that Kensuke was just thinking hard about this, probably of how much he didn't want to do this. Kensuke just slammed his palm against his head, shaking his head some more.

"If you ever wanted to be a soldier, you know you gotta start by helping your neighbor before helping the world." Duo said, smiling a little this time.

"J-just give me time to think about it, alright!" Kensuke nervously said and turned left towards another sidewalk, "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Alright, take your time, buddy." Duo responded and waved, "Later."

Duo latched onto his new books tightly as he now made his way for home. He had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement of how exactly he would go about in helping Shinji. Furthermore, he just wanted to know Kensuke's answer. _Was there anybody else in this world that Shinji befriended_? He wondered.

He suddenly began to hear sounds of basketball dribbles coming from somewhere. Just a block before reaching the apartment complex, he noticed that there were some street basketball courts to his side. The courts looked very old and tattered, appearing as though it survived a nuclear holocaust. This area of the city probably wasn't recovered from the nuclear explosion that Kensuke was referring to, earlier.

However, there was one person occupying this court - a boy, around his age with thick, black hair on a wheelchair. Duo wanted to play along, but couldn't get past the fence covering the area. He could only watch as the boy tried to enjoy himself, but Duo could see this boy's rather straight face.

Then, the boy shot a look towards him! Appearing to be irritated, Duo became a little frightened. Whistling, Duo pretended not to see him and continued on to the complex.

He arrived within minutes, head up the elevator, and opened up the room with the key.

"Hey Heero, you in here?" Duo shouted the moment he took off his shoes and entered the room. As he expected, there was no answer, "Of course you're not..."

* * *

><p>"Will you get in there, already?! It's already past ten and I have a test in the morning that I still need to study for!" Asuka bellowed to Shinji as he tried to squeeze the grocery bags through the apartment door.<p>

"Says the one who's only carrying a jug of milk..." Shinji said as he tried to position himself so he could slide through the door. He heard Asuka sigh from behind him, when suddenly he felt something slam against his rear! He fell through the door and all of the groceries scattered across the floor! Shinji now gazed upon dozens of beer cans**[3]** scatter across the floor aimlessly.

"Come on, already. Let's just go..." Asuka whispered bitterly and walked into the room, without even noticing Shinji on the floor.

She was the first to enter the kitchen and put the milk in the fridge. Shinji scurried about the floor putting the cans back in the bags, then eventually caught up with her. Into the other fridge where Misato keeps all of her beer, he began to load one can after another until the two dozen cans filled the remainder of the space.

Shinji then heard his stomach growl a little. He hadn't made lunch today, as he forgot to make it this morning. It had also been long past dinnertime.

"Hey Asuka." Shinji quietly asked.

"Can I help you?" Asuka bitterly uttered while preparing her clothing and towel for a bath.

"W-want anything for dinner?" He asked nervously.

"Sure, whatever!" Asuka shouted to him as she entered the bathroom.

"Can you guys just stop it with all of the yelling out there?!" Misato yelled from her room. Shinji had jumped. Much to his surprise, Misato had been home early and awake.

Shinji dropped the ingredients for dinner on the shelf, but first left the kitchen to check and see on Misato. He slowly slid open her door, and noticed that there were papers cluttered all over her mattress! Shinji noticed that Misato's long legs were crossed with her laptop laying on them, and she had her eyes glued onto the screen.

"Hey Misato, what's happening?" Shinji asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing. Just been a busy day. I got off a few hours ago but I kinda wanna get this huge project out of the way." Misato replied cheerfully.

"C-could you possibly tell me what this project is and why you're so busy on it?" Shinji asked.

"Heh, I couldn't simply do that." Misato said, shutting off her laptop and turning to him, "Say, Shinji, are you free on the 28th of September? That's a Friday."

Shinji paused for a moment. That was weeks from now, plus one of the most random dates he could ever think of. He hated NERV, and he hated his father. Why would he want to affiliate himself with them, anymore? He simply couldn't recall why, but he just knew that he hated NERV. His eyes rolled, and he simply uttered under his breath:

"I guess... Why?" Shinji asked with utmost reluctance.

"Well..." Misato paused, as well, "It'll be a big day, let's just say." Misato put her laptop aside, yawned then stretched, "I mean, you don't have to go. Just let me know if you're free."

"I suppose I am." Shinji murmured and walked back towards the kitchen slowly.

The phone in the kitchen suddenly began to rang. Shinji dragged his feet over to the counter where the phone was laying, and picked it up to his ear.

"Hello?" Shinji asked.

"Shinji, is that you?" Shinji recognized who this was in an instant. It was Kensuke, whom he hasn't seen in a long time.

"Yes." He replied as he took a seat next to the table, limping slightly. Shinji wondered to himself why suddenly Kensuke would be talking to him after not talking, let alone seeing him for months.

"Hey, Shinji..." Kensuke said, "Listen, do you have any plans for this upcoming weekend?"

Shinji's eyes widened.

* * *

><p>"Whoo-yee! You guys never told me the view up here would be this chill! I wonder why y'all haven't come up here, before!" Duo rejoiced, hearing his echo as he spoke out loudly.<p>

The sun was setting, and it was a beautiful sight up in the mountains. The school week had flown by like a breeze, and it was a time for some recreation and fun for the boys: Duo, Kensuke, and Shinji. Duo looked to his side and noticed his friends were still struggling up the hill.

"W-we've been walking for two hours already, Duo!" Kensuke said, huffing and puffing, "And this imaginary of trail of yours is bound to be at least four more miles. Maybe we should call it a day?"

Duo sighed, then chuckled, "Alright buddy, if you say so." Duo slipped off his backpack. Glancing upward, he noticed Tokyo-3 in the distance, aligned perfectly with the horizon. However, just to its side, he suddenly noticed half of a mountain in a peculiar state - it was completely charred and deserted! Duo jumped when this sight ruined the mood of this camping trip.

"Say, Kensuke..." Duo asked, "What's the deal with that side of the mountain over there?" He said with his finger pointed out.

"Hey Shinji, can you hand me those binoculars, please?" Kensuke said, turning to Shinji. Shinji handed the binoculars to him after digging through his bag. Afterwards, Kensuke took a look through the lenses, "Huh, I'm surprised that part hasn't been recovered yet."

"Say what?" Duo confusingly asked.

"Remember when you asked me the question about the nuclear bomb? Well, what you just saw is just some of the remnants of it." Kensuke answered.

"What was this nuclear bomb, anyway?"

"Not a bomb, it was Eva Unit 00**[4]**. Everyone in Tokyo-3 couldn't forget the catastrophe from that one day! Luckily, nobody was injured."

"Another Evangelion?" Duo said with widened eyes.

"You bet it was." Kensuke said, "Either that was the cause, or this could be the same mountain where the Eva Units destroyed the Fifth Angel**[5]**." Kensuke turned his head towards Shinji, whom was now sitting under a tree, "You would know, wouldn't you Shinji?"

Shinji simply shrugged and pulled his knees towards his head, hugging his legs and sitting quietly.

"Fifth Angel, huh?" Duo asked, "There's so much I still gotta learn, I'll bet I can never catch up."

"You wouldn't really know unless you lived here, Duo. Besides, isn't that what your friend is trying to do right now? Educate himself?"

"Heero? Yeah, you bet he is. But it's just so mysterious to why he'd start scrambling over all this studying glob." Duo leaned over and picked up two twigs from the ground, "Come on, guys. Lets start up the campfire!" Duo expressed in a more cheerful tone.

The boys went to work, now. They had gotten the tent set up within a half-hour, after Duo struggled to figure out how to put it up. The tent fell on top of him about three times! Kensuke would burst out laughing. However, Duo particularly noticed that Shinji was smiling a little bit - possibly at this sight of humor. Nevertheless, it's all he wanted to see from him now.

Afterwards, Duo dumped a pile of sticks onto the ground. Whistling, he pulled out a lighter and sparked a small flame. Swiping it against the ground before him, the wood caught on fire in an instant! Afterwards, he went to his bag and pulled out some cooking dishes and utensils. Suddenly, however, he felt duped.

"Um... Does anybody know how to use these?" Duo grinned embarrassingly, when suddenly Shinji gently took them out of his hands. Without hesitation, Shinji began to pull food out of his bag and began to cook with Duo's gear. Duo nodded, "You're welcome?"

It was sundown already, and the boys were now surrounded by trees everywhere below the dark skies. The boys surrounded the campfire, staring at its radiating magnificence. Shinji had begun to pass out to Kensuke and Duo bowls of food in it.

Duo was the first to look inside and notice some delicious steamed rice with pieces of mackerel on top. He licked the bottom of his tongue in appetite, "De-lish! _Bon appetit_, guys!" He said before yanking out a spoon and digging it into his food. As he took the first bite, he was in awe immediately! Shinji's cooking was brilliant!

"Hope you enjoy it..." Shinji murmured as he ate his meal slowly with a fork.

Duo noticed as Shinji was eating slowly. Kensuke appeared to be eating normally, while Duo was the only one stuffing his face. He had to calm down, though. He looked up towards Shinji and commented politely:

"You really did make some good stuff, Shinji." Duo said.

"Thanks..." Shinji replied without even looking back at him.

Duo felt the urge to say more, however. As he finished his bowl of food, he gently placed it down then interlocked his fingers before him. Duo thought of what to say to Shinji.

"Shinji, I..." Duo paused, "Look buddy, I really hope you're not mad about what happened last week. I'm really sorry, pal." Duo listened to himself speak. They were words coming straight from the heart, a language he rarely ever speaks.

Shinji finally returned a look to Duo, "It's fine..."

Kensuke stopped eating and turned to Duo, "Duo, if you don't mind me telling you..."

"What's up?"

"Listen, part of the reason I was really reluctant to come up here was because last time..." Kensuke paused.

"Yeah?" Duo said, ready to listen more carefully.

"We really shouldn't have come here. Shinji was placed into custody by NERV personnel the last time we went on a camping trip like this. You have no idea how afraid I am it's gonna happen again!"

Duo leaned back, picked up a tiny pebble, then tossed it into the fire, "That's implying NERV is gonna bother this time..."

Duo noticed that Shinji was just gazing at the fire. Duo had no idea what to say, nor do. In fact, he was completely surprised since the moment they got up here that the other two agreed to do this. He knew that Kensuke only cared for Shinji's well-being. Shinji, on the other hand, what was his purpose of being here?

Duo had stood up and made his way for the tent. Kensuke called for his attention:

"Wait, didn't you say you wanted to roast marshmallows sometime tonight?" Kensuke remarked.

Duo alas changed his mind, despite now feeling very dazed at the situation. Walking back to the campfire, he took his backpack and opened up a bag of marshmallows. He tossed a twig to Kensuke, and another one before Shinji's feet. He then plucked two marshmallows out of the bag and tossed them to the other boys. Thus, he grabbed a marshmallow of his own and jabbed it through a random stick he found on the ground, and placed it over the fire.

"You wouldn't believe what it was like camping out and being overly paranoid that a giant robot would squish you anytime!" Duo remarked. Kensuke chuckled while Shinji suddenly gave a small smile at this joke. Duo smiled, afterwards, happy at seeing Shinji finally beginning to show a little bit of happiness.

"I guess I was right all along," Duo thought to himself, "The guy just needs someone to pull him out from the hell he's been through."

* * *

><p>"There had better be a reason why you pulled me out here fifty miles away from the city." Heero exclaimed.<p>

"You're only about to see history in the making." Commander Fuyutsuki declared.

Heero stood on a conveyor-belt like escalator that was ascending himself and Kozo. They were outside, under the darkness. Heero, unknown of his surroundings or where he was, only saw a large lot of open area before him with dim lights scattered across the area. He waited patiently for what was to come soon.

"I would like to know why I am here." Heero murmured.

"And you will. How about I bottom line it for you?" Kozo responded.

Heero glanced over to his left for a moment and noticed that Rei was standing next to the car that they used to arrive at this place. She was standing very still and calm, just like he. However, Heero had to respond to Kozo's offer of briefing this scenario.

"Sure."

"As you know, even we were disappointed with your results in synchronization with Eva Unit 01. Therefore, we have agreed to abide with your needs. Thus, NERV, through extensive coordination and funding from the U.N. have decided to forego a new project - the creation of a new Evangelion." Kozo explained.

"Alright." Heero responded, "Have you not learned yet that I'm unable to resist the mental toxicity that Eva Unit 01 gave me?"

Kozo returned a furious look at Heero's bluntness, "But of course. That's why we thoroughly studied your robot, Wing Zero, and thus adopted the technology-..."

"You _what_?" Heero quietly denounced.

"We've learned about the functions of your machine. The operating system, the field radar, including the mysterious ZERO System we discovered from the suit. In the end, through thousands of brilliant minds throughout the globe, we have formulated a new prototype of Evangelion Units. You are about to witness a hybrid of the Gundam and the Evangelion."

Heero didn't seem amused at all. The lights ahead of him were still dim, although the sounds that were ringing towards him easily made him tell that there was construction going on.

"Interesting." Heero monotonously replied. He wasn't amused at all, because that proposal Kozo made sounded rather impossible to him.

"By using the identical organic material from the typical Evangelion, which is that of an Angel, we started there from scratch. However, the mechanisms of this new unit are much different. However, in order to inhabit the traits of the Gundam much more, there are key differences between the original and this customized hybrid. One of the most notable ones that come to mind right now is...It cannot produce an AT Field**[6]**."

"No AT Field?" Heero questioned, "You don't have to tell me that the AT Fields are a crucial component to the Eva Unit's defenses."

"But it's only necessary. You would be surprised to hear that we've installed a vital component from the Gundam - rocket thrusters for propulsion**[7]**." Kozo said with a slight smirk, trying to please Heero.

"Okay."

"Outrageously fast, the unit can travel up to speeds of mach 12. Vastly faster than any form of transportation on the planet." Kozo paused as Heero finally shot a look towards him, "It was all thanks to your machine that we would develop a powerhouse to this limit."

Heero was more awe-stricken by Kozo's briefing now, "Much more impressive than I had imagined," Heero murmured.

The elevator finally came to a complete stop. Kozo began to move forward. Heero shortly followed until he came to a stop at a console at the top of this deck.

"By no means is this unit complete just yet. As a result of this project, NERV has transported several tons of equipment to this one site. Therefore, you'll be expected to conduct your first harmonics test at this very location when it is complete."

"Right."

"Behold, Heero. Custom Eva Unit 00, your Evangelion Unit." Kozo placed his hand on a lever, and pulled it downwards.

Suddenly, the lights on the field before them began to flicker, eventually shine! It was blinding for a split second, until Heero could finally see what there was in this open field - an enormous humanoid exoskeleton! He watched carefully as workers - belonging to NERV - were constructing the unit carefully! A large core was located in the units chest, indicating that it was being made from the remnants of an Angel. However, surrounding it there were various hints that alluded to the Wing Zero. Heero recognized the rod-shaped object which resembled a beam saber, along with a machinegun-like piece which looked identical to the Gundam's machine cannons. There was much more in this site that Heero couldn't simply recognize, possibly the makings of the Evangelion that was far beyond his own knowledge.

"The machine that mankind has made in defense against the divine has now evolved." Kozo whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>[1]<strong> An S2 Engine (Super Solenoid Engine) is a organ located within the core of Angels that powers the Angels, eventually the Eva Units. It is a limitless source of energy that proves much more reliable than the typical umbilical cords. It is referred to in the show that the S2 Engine is required for an Eva Unit to achieve the power of a god and bring it to a level of existence equal to the First Angel, Adam.

**[2]** In Episode 4 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinji goes camping with Kensuke. The next morning, however, Shinji is taken away by NERV and forced into custody.

**[3]** It's a running gag throughout the first half of the show that Misato loves to drink beer. She is notable for her hilarious reaction whenever she consumes a can.

**[4]** Evangelion Unit 00 was the first operational Eva Unit, most notably piloted by Rei Ayanami (II). Originally orange-colored, it is more known as the color blue. It should be noted that it is the most unstable of the Eva Units, as it went berserk in two occasions - both in experiments with Rei and Shinji.

**[5]** Eva Unit 00 ultimately met its demise when fighting the Sixteenth Angel, Armisael, as Rei self-destructed the unit in order to destroy the Angel due to her love for Shinji. It destroyed much of Tokyo-3 as well as the area around it, including Lake Ashinoko.

**[6]** AT Field (Absolute Terror Field) is a strong and very durable barrier generated by Angels and Eva Units. Nearly impenetrable, these fields are said to withstand powerful N2 explosives and other means of mass destruction. They are revealed to be generated by humans, as well, which allow humans to retain their separate forms and remain divided amongst other individuals. It is a goal by the Human Instrumentality Project that these Fields be broken. AT Fields' opposites are Anti-AT Fields.

**[7]** Movement by almost all mobile suits is done through some form of thrusters. Wing Gundam Zero from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, is said to have approximately 88,150 kilograms of rocket thrusters total. The greatness of this speed substitutes that from the Bird Mode of Wing Zero from the TV Version of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.


	13. Chapter 13

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

"Hey Heero, we're home!" Duo paused for a moment to listen to what he was saying. He was referring to two people entering the apartment, not just himself. After a great two nights of camping, Duo decided to take Shinji back to the apartment on short-notice. He turned around, noticing Shinji just blankly staring at the ground, and whispered, "He's not much of a people person, but you'll get the hang of him sooner or later."

"Oh no, I don't mind at all," Shinji said as he tilted his head upward. He kept the expression on his face with little to no interest.

While wandering through the small hallway, Duo peered left towards the kitchen, noticing not a soul there but an enormous stack of papers, just as he figured. Something was probably keeping Heero extremely busy these past few nights, but he could only speculate what was it possibly this time. To his right, the sliding doors to the bedroom were shut. Duo simply stood in front of the doors, rolling his eyes up and down.

"Is something the matter?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah, um..." Duo paused, "Try to be as quiet as you can while, m'kay?" Duo remarked. Shinji responded with a brief nod.

Duo stuck his fingers on the door's edge, now gently adding force to them. As the doors slowly slid open, his anxiety rose. Heero was quite the quiet person, Duo knew, but for him to be shunning the entire Earth out of his life? This was a little out of character, he thought.

Alas, the doors were wide open. While Shinji continued to gaze downward, Duo jumped in shock to see what was before him! Heero was lying on his sleeping mat with a pencil both in his ear and biting the eraser of one, surrounded by high stacks of paper. He looked very sleep-deprived from Duo's outlook, with several wrinkles covering the skin below Heero's eyes. Cluttered in hundreds of sheets of paper scattered all across the floor, Heero appeared to have carefully studied each and every one of these.

"Good grief, Heero! What's gotten into you, pal?" Duo said with a gasp, bending down slowly to check one of the sheets of paper that Heero tossed aside. Reading it out loud to himself, "Custom Eva Unit 00, a prototype model of..." He stopped reading when the context of the paper began to make no sense to him, "Whatever this thing is, it's nothing like a mobile suit." Duo said to himself, unable to recognize the components of such a machine.

"Actually, this is more relevant to the mobile suit than any other," Heero finally spoke, but in his usual quiet manner.

"Why don't you explain it to me? Care to give me a little rundown?" Duo asked.

"A hybrid," Heero murmured in reply. Duo returned with a blank face.

"That _really_ gave a lot of closure, Heero..." Duo said with a sigh. Still noticing that Shinji was right behind him, Duo thought it was the perfect time to give a proper introduction of his new friend. He announced, "Hey, Heero!"

"Hm?"

"I'd like you to meet my friend, _Shinji_. Shinji Ikari. The name would probably ring a bell to you because he's..." Duo was looking at Shinji the entire time he uttered these words, but upon glancing at Heero, Heero was staring right towards Shinji. Duo suddenly felt paralyzed, "What's up, Heero?"

Shinji returned a look towards Heero, but rather than a stare, it was more of a frightful look.

"I've seen you before..." Shinji stated, "Y-you were at the bus stop!"

"Indeed I was," Heero said and laid back again on the mat, studying his documents.

"So you two have already met, huh? This is pretty wicked!" Duo declared.

"Duo," Heero muttered, "Please leave me be."

Duo and Shinji stood in silence, just staring at the guy whom was lying on the floor. Duo took Shinji's arm, and led him back into the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm sorry he had to be like this right now. I don't even know why he's been acting abnormally antisocial lately..." Duo whispered.

"It's fine..." Shinji said and finally faced Duo, "Listen, Duo, thanks for the camping trip. I-it was fun, very enjoyable." Shinji said hesitantly.

Duo smiled, "A-ha! No problem, buddy. I'd really like to do this again with ya sometime. Just give me a phone call or something, and we'll be good to go."

"A-alright," Shinji nodded as he made his way for the door, "I'll do that..."

"Feel free to, pal." Duo nodded and smiled as he waved to him out the door. Finally, he returned his attention to Heero by immediately walking back in.

"Hm?" Heero said, peeking over the current paper.

"You could've at least said 'Hello, nice to meet you!' The hell was that all about?" Duo asked.

"You don't know him like I do," Heero said.

"You don't know him _at all_, Heero."

"But I do."

"Tell me, then."

"He's the son of the commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari. I've read his profile, too - extremely naive, fragile persona, a little angsty - it's all that NERV has classified him as," Heero explained.

Duo suddenly became mildly infuriated, "That's not the Shinji I've known. You're being an ass by just 'classifying' him based on hearsay. Get to know the kid, will ya?"

Heero stood up, brushing the papers off of his torso. He turned to Duo, "Very well, then. Let me see him on the battlefield when the time comes. He is a pilot, no?"

Heero proceeded and walked past the cluttered papers on the floor. He went into the kitchen and prepared to make himself a cup of coffee. Duo turned and looked at his friend, and immediately remembered Shinji. These past two days, Duo had already begun to get hints from both him and Kensuke that there was some kind of corrupted bond between Shinji and his father. Duo had also known that Heero had been hanging around Gendo for a good amount of time, but that still left him questionable on what was going on.

He then noticed a folder lying on the table. Duo approached it slowly, and picked it up off the table to peek inside. The first thing he saw was, "September 28" on top of the first sheet he saw. That was only two weeks from now, and already these few weeks have already seemed to gone by fast.

"What's gonna happen on this date?" Duo asked.

"Something big," Heero responded.

* * *

><p>It was now pitch-dark again, approximately two weeks already since Duo had learned of these plans. Heading up the exact same elevator of the enormous outdoor hangar, Heero stood again watching the hundreds of tiny lights scattered across the field before them. He had not sensed the presence of anyone near him, only the organic being of mechanical make. Heero focused solely on the upcoming moment, for he could just feel that it would define his role forever in this world.<p>

"So, Heero? How were your first weeks at school?" The silence was broken when suddenly he remembered Misato was standing besides him. Keeping his eyes closed and paying little attention to her, he murmured:

"Fine."

"Make any new friends? Meet any girls? Getting good grades?" Misato kindly asked him questions one after the other.

"Sure," Heero murmured again.

Misato turned her head away from him, now watching the field. She gave a small sigh, just letting her eyes wander about the area – despite barely being able to see a thing.

"You're really someone else, aren't you?" Misato asked.

"What makes you say that?" Heero quietly responded as he finally peeked in her direction.

Misato paused, appearing hesitant to utter her next phrase, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Heero looked back ahead, "Alright."

The two both went silent again. Heero could feel that Misato wanted to say something, but didn't know how to put it into words. He had one question for her, however.

"I should've asked the Commander this: Tell me why is this whole building a new Evangelion necessary? I never suspected any incoming threats from any more Angels to begin with," Heero explained.

"It is the Commander's order," Misato answered, "Hear me when I say I'm just as confused as you are. You already know that the threats all of the original Angels have been neutralized, right?"

Heero nodded.

"The thing is, when that friend of yours led the raid upon the city, everyone's been paranoid about it," Misato paused, "And… I don't know. I just don't."

Heero was disgusted a little with this response of hers. She had not answered him completely and led him to wonder deeply in his thoughts. He simply ignored her by turning towards the Eva Unit, still cloaked by darkness.

"Okay, y'know what…" Misato spoke again, "I-I just wanna know why you've been so concentrated on the task like this. I don't understand why you just can't seem to interact with anyone because you're so focused. It's been irritating me a little, Heero. There may just be something wrong with your head. I've let that mistake haunt me thrice already **[1]** and I…" She took a deep breath, "I don't want the same to happen to you. I'm sorry."

"If there's one thing you should know about me, I've always learned that emotions are obstacles in the task at hand. They will sway you away from the target, causing you to lose your concentration on the path before you. It is through human emotion that creates the tendencies to go by desire in place of duty. I merely discard them in times like these," Heero explained, "But simultaneously… I find myself embracing them and living every inch of my life by these feelings." **[2]**

"B-but this is only some kind of a test, Heero. You're not overreacting, are you?" Misato asked.

Heero shrugged, "I certainly feel something. That's for sure."

* * *

><p>"C'mon, Kensuke… It's my turn, now! You've had it for ten minutes already!" Duo declared while trying to reach over to swipe the binoculars out of Kensuke's hands.<p>

"My turn can't be over until I actually see something!" Kensuke loudly retorted, trying to force Duo away.

Shinji looked to his side, watching his friends quarrel over a pair of binoculars to see what was going on. He silently looked ahead at the pitch-dark field with lights the size of fireflies wafting around there.

"They really should've given us a closer view of the whole thing… How do we see something in such dark?" Shinji said, talking under the noisy struggle between Kensuke and Duo. Shinji took a seat on the bench, in which he noticed Asuka was on the other end of her bench with her legs crossed and grumbling at the annoying chattering of the other two boys.

"Why the hell did Misato tell us to come here, anyway? It's not like we have any business to speak of watching this new guy get his own Eva Unit." Asuka muttered.

Shinji didn't respond at all to her blunt statement. He simply sat in silence, disregarding Asuka's grumbling and Duo and Kensuke's rowdy behavior.

He had looked to his left out of curiosity. Past the boys, there was someone else standing, observing what was about to become of this event. He blinked. It was Rei, standing all alone isolated from him and the others! Shinji wondered what she was doing here, plus what form of business she had with this place. He had not seen her in a long time, he felt. Alas, he rose from the bench and walked over to Rei, now standing beside her.

"Ayanami?" Shinji murmured quietly.

"Ikari…" She replied.

Shinji gulped, not knowing what to say to her in this mini-reunion, "What brings you here?"

Rei was completely silent. Turning her head towards him very slightly, she had blinked and stated, "I feel like I should have warned them…"

Shinji's eyes widened, "Warn them about what?"

Rei turned her attention back to the Eva Unit, which was still clouded in a thick layer of darkness, "Just observe and hope not for the worst."

* * *

><p>"Here we are, Heero. This is your crowning moment," Misato announced as she and Heero now approached the Entry Plug, lying at the very top of the platform.<p>

"Alright." Heero looked at himself a second time, now wearing an actual plugsuit. This was much different in color than that of the others he had seen. It had been black with traces of blue trim covering various parts of the suit. There was also this strange headset attached to his head**[3]**, which he had almost no clue of its functions. He had asked, "So this will promote better synch ratio with this Eva Unit?"

"Yessiree. It's certainly what it's made to do," Misato answered, "So what are you waiting for? You're free to hop in at any time."

Heero noticed the opening compartment of the entry plug. It was already calling him to go in. However, he had noticed the lights to his side had now flung on. Before entering the cockpit, he had gazed upon the upper back neck of the machine – a luminescent white color resembling that of the moon. It had heavily adopted its appearance from that of his Gundam, he could already tell. This finished machine was ready for its test drive, he could see.

"What's the matter, Heero? Did you see a ghost?" Misato asked when she noticed Heero staring in awe.

"Nothing. Carry on," Heero murmured and loaded himself into the entry plug.

"Alright, gang!" Misato now announced over an intercom. She looked downward and noticed all of the NERV personnel on the ground looking upward towards her, "Lets get that plug in and initiate synchronization, immediately!"

"Hey, there we go! Now I see something happening!" Kensuke announced in excitement. Duo jumped, and now completely turned his attention forward without the binoculars.

"Well, won't you look at that! It's _huge_!" Duo said, staring at the new Eva Unit in awe, "Looks a little bit on the creepy side compared to Wing Zero… But still, damn!"

Shinji looked to his side and noticed the boys watching excitingly towards the action that's about to come. He still found Asuka, however, simply sitting nonchalantly and bitterly against the bench. Shinji then turned to Rei, only to notice that her eyes were closed and she stood perfectly still like a statue.

"Ayanami?" Shinji whispered her name. He took his hand and waved it in front of her face, but she made no sound.

"Alright, Heero. I'm back on ground level. Can you hear me from up there?" Misato asked as she was waving her hands for NERV Personnel to make way.

"Loud and clear."

"Excellent. As you already know, this unit is a molded hybrid of both your Gundam and the organic Eva Unit. This is only a prototype which we worked countless hours to fit to you, alone," Misato explained.

"And?"

"Just…" Misato said nervously, "Just bear with us, okay?"

"Roger," Heero murmured.

"We'll release the restraints from you, alright? Try some of your basic movement," Misato said, waving her hands above her to signal some other personnel to do as she said.

With a small movement of his arms, the Eva Unit began to move away from the metallic wall it had been originally bound to by incredibly strong restraints. He observed the controls within the cockpit, which suddenly he became more familiar with after intensive studying of the Evangelion's functions. Pulling the Eva's hands in front of him, he could already feel a smoother mobility as he waved his hands around. Within moments, he could already feel himself standing up with minimal effort. The basics had already been nailed, he thought.

"Impressive, already!" Misato rejoiced, "It looks like you've already grasped a little bit of what this machine has to offer, huh?"

"I suppose," Heero said.

"You'll be even more surprised to learn about its arsenal," Misato said, "Look in the compartment where you originally found the prog knife from Eva Unit 01."

Heero did so, reaching behind into its shoulder. Within the Eva's grip, he could already feel something within his hand. He had yanked it out, but instead of a knife handle, it appeared to be rather longer. Immediately, a long rod of energy ignited out of one end of the handle! It had formed into a sword, rather than a knife! Heero's eyes widened at this amazing sight.

"The Eva, itself, isn't the only thing we had merged!" Misato happily remarked. The surrounding NERV staff were all just staring in amazement.

* * *

><p>"Whoa nelly!" Duo jumped, holding the binoculars now, "That Eva Unit has a beam saber of its own, now!"<p>

"I believe it would be moreso a mixture of the Progressive Knife and this beam saber you're speaking of, seeing as though every Eva Unit needs some sort of tool to take on an Angel," Kensuke remarked.

"You know too much sometimes, Kensuke," Duo teased.

Shinji, meanwhile, was still standing in the exact same spot as he was five minutes ago. He tried to remain absolutely silent, just like Rei. He only wanted to know the source of Rei's discomfort. _Shouldn't she be thrilled at what's about to come_? He thought.

* * *

><p>"What do you now about this Eva Unit so far? You've been studying it a lot, I assume?" Misato asked him through the cockpit's intercom.<p>

"Yes," Heero replied, "Why this unit lacks an AT Field is still my biggest concern."

"Oh yeah, about that..." Misato added, "The Commander told you all about the massive offensive properties that this unit now holds? While this unit is only mediocre defensively, a new arsenal comes as a full package in this hybrid prototype."

To his left, Heero now noticed a large weapon cache – just like the ones scattered around Tokyo-3 – slowly opening up. He couldn't believe what was before his eyes – an enormous cannon-like rifle that nearly resembled Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle. He reached out his hand slowly to grasp the weapon.

"It won't bite you, Heero. Check it out for youself!" Misato cheerfully stated.

Heero did so, and now the Eva Unit was holding the rifle within its hands firmly. It appeared to have the exact same functions as Wing Zero's buster rifle, except of course it was much larger and was assumingly more powerful. He was immediately thrilled by everything that this Evangelion had to offer – the weapons, the resemblance to his Gundam, but above all the compatibility with him.

"We won't be testing it at this moment, but you'll be delighted to know it can increase its firepower a hundredfold the destruction output that your Gundam had," Misato said, "Are you impressed?"

"Yes," Heero briefly responded.

"Now, let's work on flight."

Heero raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word "flight".

Suddenly, from behind the Eva Unit, he could feel a sudden jump in weight! Emerging from the shoulder blades of the Eva Unit came two large, angelic wings that spanned almost twice its arm span! It really was almost a replica of his Gundam, but he felt amazed with it.

"Thrilling," Heero replied.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god…" Duo whispered, lowering the binoculars, "That thing is incredible. Words can't even describe it, now!"<p>

"NERV surely went outta their way just to make this new unit look cool just for show…" Asuka remarked under her voice.

Duo turned to her, "You're not fascinated at all with this, aren't you? Maybe you can show a little bit of gratitude for this new pilot?"

"Why should I? The pilot's just another idiot but can't speak up like Wonder Girl**[4]** over there," Asuka said, nudging her head towards Rei.

Duo just ignored her for now, shrugged, and returned his attention towards the Eva along with Kensuke.

Shinji could hear every word coming from the others, ten meters to his right. Trying to disregard them, he glanced towards Rei once more. She now brought her hands together and interlocked her fingers. Her head had been down with her eyes completely shut.

"Ayanami?" Shinji reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "There's something you're not telling me."

"I dare not speak of it…" Rei responded.

"Ayanami…" He had both his hands on her shoulders, now, and was standing right in front of her, "Please tell me… What's wrong?"

Rei did not panic. Suddenly she had begun to sweat. She wrapped her arms around Shinji and buried her head in his chest.

"Ayanami?!" Shinji shouted, "AYANAMI?! What's wrong?"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Duo said, running towards the two.

Shinji held Rei tight, still completely unaware of her condition and what was going on.

* * *

><p>"Try taking flight right now, whether it be hovering a little in the air or soaring," Misato commanded.<p>

"Roger tha-…" Heero paused when suddenly his adrenaline began to pump rapidly. The whole Eva Unit went completely still – absolutely motionless. He looked at his hands, now frozen and immobile. The newly made buster rifle had dropped to the ground, creating a great crash into the area in front of him! He could now hear the voices – many of them – below him now agonizing in fear.

"Heero, what the hell are you doing?!" Misato shouted through the intercom.

He could not understand these words that she had spoken. The loudest noise that rang through his head was the beat of his heart – much faster than it has been before. Taking both his hands, he covered his heart with an intense grip. He had planted his body against the cockpit chair, trying to maintain control of himself. Why on Earth was he feeling in such an inhumanely behavior was beyond his own knowledge! It was there, somehow, a force trying to control him. Slowly and surely it was consuming him with every passing moment.

He had tried to maintain control, but had failed in an instant. Out of the Eva's shoulder, he could feel it drawing the Progressive Sword out of its sheath. Igniting the blade once more, the Eva Unit had swung it violently before him, destroying a nearby control tower along with the transport that brought him to the entry plug!

Heero didn't have to be reminded already that there was already fire blazing across the area! He could only have been the one to cause this destruction. No, it couldn't have. This feeling of wrath just struck him out of nowhere. Its roots are unknown, but it had to be from somewhere.

He had placed his hands again on the controls, much more gently now. The hybrid of the two machines, born from the blueprints of a Gundam and an Evangelion – how could it have the capabilities to cause him to wreck havoc? The reminiscence of the battle inside of Eva Unit 01… Eva Unit 01, that was a hint!

Now clenching his face, Heero screamed in agonizing pain. There was pain flowing into him, as if the LCL's pressure all squeezed into him. Every pain receptor in his body had almost activated! This force was killing him, now! He knew he would not survive this like he had in Eva Unit 01.

"EJECT ENTRY PLUG, RIGHT NOW!" He could hear Misato scream at the top of her voice. That was the last thing he heard.

* * *

><p>"Good lord, Heero. I stand corrected, you really are a glutton for punishment!" Duo's voice was heard through his head.<p>

Heero woke up, now lying on an infirmary bed. Dazed at this current position, he checked his own body – which was no longer clothed in the plugsuit - first. Not a single wound at all. The last thing he felt was a great influx of pain, worthy of killing him in an instant. But that pain had vanished in an instant, and now he felt as free as a bird. The pain had now turn to pleasure.

Surrounding him were Duo and his two friends – Shinji and Kensuke. He lay on the bed as still as a statue. After a minute, he slowly regained his posture by struggling to sit up. The three boys just looked at him.

"You definitely got out by a nose," Kensuke commented.

"Oh yeah, we were worried sick about you!" Duo added.

Heero's eyes wandered about the room. Still dwelling on the events from last night, he could only have hoped that the worst never came. He saw it with his own eyes – the Eva Unit laying waste. Above all, his utmost concern was if anybody was hurt.

"What happened?" Heero finally asked.

* * *

><p>Within the dark, mysterious office of the Commander, Misato confronts him in person. She briefly described the situation of the incident from the night before, only to receive a look of pity from the strict Commander.<p>

"Major, you realize if this project is a failure…" Gendo remarked.

"I know, I know," Misato interrupted, "There were zero casualties. Despite the Eva Unit entering Berserker Mode for approximately 76.09 seconds, we were able to kill the Eva's power and save Heero in the nick of time."

Gendo turned furiously towards Misato, "You don't understand at all. That Eva Unit cost us many more resources than that of the original Eva Units. We had rejected the AT Field, the Dummy Plug, and even a bulk of the original Evangelion structure just to accommodate a new pilot."

"It was only fair. We conducted synchronization tests for him on both Eva Units 01 and 02, and both were critical failures. This project of ours had to build something new in order to remove the risk of another disaster of the Eva Units."

"Do you know yet the source of why Heero just can't synch with any of the original units?"

Misato went blank. She knew not the answer to this. However, she remembered the incident with Eva Unit 00**[5]**. This incident could've perfectly mirrored the events of that day, but only this time, Heero had been the victim. She would have to think far deeper into this in order to obtain the answer. It most certainly couldn't have been a mere malfunction of the Unit, itself.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Major Katsuragi," Gendo said, interrupting her train of thought.

"I'm sorry, Commander," She replied, "Can't think of it off the top of my head, right now."

"Very well."

Misato turned around, heading to leave the office.

"Major," Gendo said, before she could leave the room, "I hope you're aware that this Eva is perhaps the most destructive force on Earth. I specifically ordered for a flaw within the Unit in case its pilot, or even the machine itself would choose to betray humanity. That flaw is not the absence of the AT Field."

"Yes sir," Misato said.

"The circumstances are classified and should only be known to me. But know this: if ever that situation I described ever comes to pass, we will be destroyed before the rest of the world follows."

Misato finally left the room. Thrown into deep confusion by the Commander's last statement – in the form of a riddle – she found more difficulty in analyzing his statement rather than unfolding the answer to her question of the Eva Unit from earlier. She had stopped in the middle of the hallway. To her left, the infirmary where Heero was currently in bed was planted right within the wall. She was shivering in anxiety, only desperate to know the truth from last night.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>All three of the protagonists in Evangelion (Shinji, Rei, and Asuka) undergo drastic psychological attacks towards the end of the series.

**[2] **One of Heero's famous quotes: "Live by your emotions". It is a piece of advice his father, Odin Lowe Sr., had given him before his death.

**[3] **An interface headset is a device worn around the head of an Evangelion pilot. Like the plugsuit, it promotes better synchronization for the Eva Pilot with their Unit. It is implied that it's more critical component in synchronization than the plugsuit.

**[4] **"Wonder Girl" is Asuka's harsh nickname towards Rei. She often refers to her as that out of jealously, pity, or even anger.

**[5] **Eva Unit 00 had gone Berseker Mode in two instances (episodes 5 and 14), involving Rei and Shinji, respectively. There are many forms of evidence to why it went Berserker Mode in both instances, though the answer has never been made clear in the series.


	14. Chapter 14

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

"The hell are you thinking, man?" Duo questioned as Heero casually lifted himself off of the bed and stood back onto his feet.

The three boys observed as Heero stretched his arms out wide outward. Kensuke and Shinji were particularly in shock when Heero began to crack his bones back into place. Heero had noticed a pair of clean, casual clothes on the floor next to him. He slipped into them in what felt to be a split second. Finally, the rookie Eva pilot walked over to the door, stretching his neck one last time. The three other boys were speechless, simply staring at him with conflicting feelings.

"It's nothing," Heero hastily remarked, "Now leave me be."

He had left the door without even giving them any thought. The boys looked at each other, then back at the door.

"Is he always like this?" Shinji asked.

"It was never this bad. Like…At all," Duo answered, "The guy won't even take in a tiny breath of fresh air."

"Maybe you should go talk to him some?"

"Like I haven't, already?" Duo shook his head and looked down, holding a look of sadness and disappointment across his face. He proceeded out of the door, maintaining this position on his way out.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Shinji," Kensuke followed Duo out the door.

Shinji was the last one to leave the room. He looked outside momentarily, noticing the sun had been setting at this hour. He estimated that Heero had been knocked unconscious for precisely 18 hours, but within this time frame, Shinji also learned how stubborn a person that he was.

* * *

><p>Misato took the seat across from Ritsuko, whom was intensely studying the notes on every moment that had happened the night before. After a long day of investigating the issue, Misato decided to take her friend out for some coffee on a short break in one of Tokyo-3's local cafés.<p>

"Do you think it's any different from the incident involving our previous Berserker mode incidents?" Misato asked.

"Can you just hush about that for five minutes?" Ritsuko said, "Just the fact that another one happened last night brings back enough bad memories."

"I'm sorry…" Misato answered, staring into her coffee.

"It's so hard to simply do my job, anymore. I always get this inclination that holds me back," Ritsuko remarked while resting her head against her palm.

"Wanna talk about it?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko paused, "J-just don't worry about it."

"Well, okay then…"

While the serenity emitted by the soft café music playing in the background, the ladies were both lost in thought. Ritsuko found herself scribbling down random things into the report from last night, despite how important she knew these documents were. Misato, right across from her, was simply twirling circles aimlessly with her straw about the brew.

"Alright, fine. I'll go ahead and ask it," Ritsuko asked, slamming her pen against the table, "Why would this Eva Unit specifically target Heero?"

"That's the exact question I wanted to ask you," Misato muttered.

"The LCL pressure wasn't the only thing killing him. Why do I get that feeling?" Ritsuko asked.

"You tell me. I don't know anything," Misato replied in an irritated manner.

"You know more than you think," Ritsuko said, "There's a pattern in all of this – in every time an Eva Unit went Berserk."

Misato's eyes now widened, "Tell me what you do see?"

"The instances involving Eva Unit 00…I see last night's problem having the most relation with those instances," Ritsuko said.

"Where are you going with this, now?" Misato said.

"It would have some linkage with Rei, I believe. It just has to…" Ritsuko said, "It would either be her, or…"

"Before you go crazy, I think there has to be more evidence in this," Misato remarked, "You still haven't backed me up with any proof."

"It's just that I just can't get over the hypothesis that there's a pattern we're just not getting in all these Berserker instances. Don't you just feel that with Heero, the pattern has exploited itself more than ever?"

Misato finally took a small sip of her coffee, and set it back down on the table between her palms, "What we saw was only a prototype test. It may just be too soon to draw any conclusions."

"I helped in the making of that Eva, _Misato_," Ritsuko argued, "It's supposed to have minimal inhabited traits from the standard Evangelion, yet it doesn't. If the same incident repeats itself, the destructive power of the unit will lead to unspeakable consequences."  
>Misato pressed her hand against her forehead, clenching it tightly with her fingers, "You may be right, honestly. I suppose our best option right now would be to abort this project for Heero's safety, but more importantly the world's."<p>

"This whole hybrid thing was probably a failure right from the start."

* * *

><p>Kensuke pointed out over to the old, decayed apartment complex that he and Duo were standing ahead from. He explained, "That's where she lives – right over there. The apartment, in particular, shouldn't be hard at all to find."<p>

"Alright, thanks buddy." Duo said as he began to walk forward.

"Wait, why did you want to come here in the first place?" Kensuke asked.

Duo paused and turned his head slightly, "That's my business. Sorry bro."

He watched as Kensuke shrugged and began walking away. As soon as he was out of his sight, Duo proceeded. He had wandered around for only a few moments, when suddenly he already stumbled upon one apartment door that already looked peculiar compared to the others. This one had an overflowing mailbox and had traces of trash on the floor below him. There were even a few scratches on the door.

"It shouldn't be hard to find?" Duo remembered his friend saying, "But who would even live here?"

Duo raised his hand towards the door and tapped it gently with his knuckle. He had heard an immediate creak from this door! It was already open by about two centimeters. He had jumped in shock, only surprised to learn that this door wasn't even locked to begin with.

He knocked on the door twice to let anyone in here know that he was there. Afterwards, he opened the door and tiptoed in very silently.

"Hello?" Duo asked once quietly, "Rei? Are you in here?" He had gotten no response. He took his first steps into this apartment. He couldn't believe his eyes. This apartment was completely dull and nearly empty! He felt completely detached from the world by just being in here. The only things he found notable were a very old bed in one corner of the room, and a cabinet with a cracked mirror lying on top of it.

He walked very slowly entering this room. There was something about this room that gave him the chills, but he didn't know about it. He could consider this room to be too ordinary, but that was anything but the word to describe it. It was almost like walking through a graveyard, where the souls of millions of the dead would speak to him one after the other.

Duo paused when he noticed a closed case lying on top of the cabinet. He blinked. His eyes had not deceived him – it was probably the most interesting thing lying in this entire room. Looking at this case made him curious already. Reaching out his hands, he had opened the case gently with the tips of his thumbs. However, the results were rather underwhelming – it was a pair of broken glasses**[1]**.

"Wow, now this is just…" Duo paused when suddenly he felt his left hand get slapped hard by someone! "Ow, I can take a hint and I'm sorr…" Duo paused again when he noticed the one that hit him was none other than Rei. He calmed down completely, "Oh, hey Rei… I-I'm sorry for barging in like this."

She stared at him, probably just observing why Duo would be lurking in her home at this time. She finally spoke in her soft voice, "It's fine."

Duo regained his regular position. He had cleared his throat, and began to speak, "Yeah, um… You had quite a hard time last night with what happened. We had no idea at all what on Earth that was. I just came to ask if you were alright."

"Yes, I am perfectly fine," Rei replied.

Duo appeared to be puzzled, "Are you sure? They had to rush Heero to the NERV infirmary, while they told us you were alright within minutes the moment we took you there and now you're already home?"

"Yes."

"No." Duo insisted.

"Yes. I'm fully recovered from all that happened."

"Can you at least tell me what was it you were feeling last night? Muscle cramp? Headache? Or even food poisoning?" Duo asked.

Rei didn't answer this time. She replied with a blink, and sat down on her bed, bringing her hands together and interlocking her fingers on her lap.

"Well? Can't you tell me?" Duo asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot." Rei responded, now staring blankly ahead of her, "I cannot remember anything."

"If you say so…" Duo shook his head, now even more disappointed, "Gee, can't I get an answer to anything today?" He looked back down at Rei, whom was now looking at him. He returned a calm look to mask his irritation, "I'm sorry. I'm just getting so…Ugh, with everything these days."

When Rei wouldn't respond for a second time, she returned to staring blankly towards the wall in front of her. Duo had already started for the door. Before exiting, he looked back to glance at Rei one final time.

"See ya," He murmured.

"Farewell."

* * *

><p>Shinji didn't know how to approach him at all. Behind this door, he would find Heero somewhere out in this balcony. What to say, or what to do, he did not know. He knew already another just like him, only this person was much different in so many ways.<p>

Simultaneously, he realized he had been holding his tape recorder and had his earphones attached to his head. Turning it off, he yanked off his headphones. Shinji gulped, still wary of this first real encounter with Heero.

He slowly opened the door, and just as he predicted, Heero had been standing right there – crossing his arms over the railing of the setting sun.

"Um…" Shinji paused, "Hello."

Heero turned his head with only one of his eyes catching Shinji. He turned his head away instantly. Shinji didn't seem to find this rude at all for some reason. He simply stored the tape recorder in his pocket and head over to the part of the railing beside Heero.

"You listen to that tape recorder a lot, I've noticed," Heero remarked, "What is on it?"

Shinji had no idea how to respond to this question, and in fact Heero was probably one of the first to even ask _ever_. He gulped again. He had only felt his hand reach into his pocket again, grasping onto the tape recorder and headphones. Pulling them out, he reached them towards Heero.

"W-why don't you take a look for yourself? I'd really like you to borrow it for a while, and please tell me what you think of it," Shinji said nervously.

The boy stared at his hand, then directly towards Shinji's eyes. Shinji was struggling to remain calm as he was doing this. _Why am I giving it to this guy?_ He kept reciting to himself in his own thoughts. This tape recorder had been a part of him, and now he's handing it over so suddenly to a boy he's only encountered twice, including right now. He was prepared to take it back and stuff it in his pocket, but he was too late. He had felt Heero's hand on top of his, and the tape recorder had been off of his palm.

Heero had silently observed this object that Shinji had given him. After about a minute, he slowly slipped the object into his pocket and returned to leaning against the balcony railing. He had finally whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Shinji responded. Shinji had joined Heero on the railing, looking outward towards the sunset by standing about a meter to his left. Shinji commented, "It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"

"Very," Heero replied.

"You think so, too?" Shinji said, surprised at this statement.

"Of course."

Shinji was surprised to get this kind of response from Heero, whom was retaining his usual very serious and stern expression. He knew deep at heart that he was afraid of Heero from the beginning, as he felt the growing fear within him since the moment he met him at the bus stop. However, perhaps he was misjudging him? Did he have a heart of some sort?

"Mind if I ask you something, Heero?" Shinji asked.

"Shoot."

"Are you ever afraid?" Shinji said, turning his head towards Heero.

Heero didn't respond. He had only looked down.

Shinji immediately clarified, "Of death?"

"No," Heero responded, "Everyone will face it, including I."

"Oh…" Shinji said, "I, um…" He hesitated greatly in what he was about to say. Heero had finally turned his head more towards him, probably signaling that he was curious to know. Shinji finally said it, "I really wish I could be as brave as you. I've been told by Duo how the two of you encountered some of the most dangerous things that no regular human would just do."

"And you haven't?" Heero responded.

Shinji jumped, "Excuse me?"

"I know all about you, Shinji. You're the pilot of Eva Unit 01, and you've done so much in defending this world from these Angels," Heero said.

"Oh… So you did know about me before I even learned about you…" Shinji said under his breath. He had collapsed to the ground, sitting on the hard floor and leaning against the railing.

"Yes, and I never understood why it's I that's preparing for the next battle instead of you," Heero said.

"But I won't… I can't…" Shinji said, with an even more quiet tone in his voice.

Heero got off of the railing and looked down at Shinji with a mild glare. Shinji looked back up, appearing very frightened seeing Heero in this kind of manner.

"I really expected much more from you, Shinji Ikari. It's you that's the hero of this realm, not I," Heero said. He started his way towards the entrance back into the building and kept his focus entirely on that.

Shinji immediately rose to his feet and dashed after Heero. He had yelled, "Wait! Don't go yet!" Heero paused in his movement. Shinji spoke, "I'm really more than just a coward. I am an idiot, don't you see? I can't even impress my father anymore or even the people around me. Don't you see? I'm worthless and unwanted! You're almost everything that I want to be – strong, brave, and powerful! Even my own father admires you way more than me! If you would just know what I've been through these past months, you would know that I-…!"

"Will you just _shut up_?!" Heero snapped. Shinji backed away in fear, almost falling into tears. Heero clenched his fists and shut his eyes tightly. He threw his fist into the wall, breaking out a crumb or two out of the thick concrete and even leaving a small dent in it! Shinji paid no attention to his great strength, but instead to the fact that Heero was so enraged.

"H-Heero…" Shinji whispered, placing his hand on the back of Heero's shoulder.

"You don't know about what I've been through, only what I have become as a result of what I've been through," Heero explained, "I am, too, afraid…"

Shinji's eyes widened while trying to wipe his watery eyes, "_What_?"

"I am," Heero said. He had turned back towards Shinji, "I cannot believe in myself with this task, but I do believe in you."

"B-but why?" Shinji said.

Heero gave no response. He went inside, leaving Shinji outside all alone. Shinji turned around, noticing the sun was almost out of sight. Taking a seat on the bench right next to the door, he covered his face with his hands and looked down.

This boy, whom he now realizes that he had been idolizing, turned out to be much less than he had hoped for. He had shared the demeanor of Rei, but potentially held a much darker and dreadful life that he had not known of. How he was able to endure so many moments of great pain? This was a trait that he would beg to have. Heero was strong, but he was weak. Shinji was drowning in envy. At the same time, Heero was denying his bravery. Why would someone actually believe in him?

* * *

><p>Misato and Ritsuko, meanwhile, have returned to NERV Headquarters. Misato knew their first order of business – to shut down all operation of the Custom Eva Unit 00 until further notice and inspection by the science branch of NERV. It had already been after sundown, and the halls of NERV Headquarters were somewhat more quiet than during the usual hours.<p>

"Alright. But I still don't see how the Commander will take this," Ritsuko remarked as they were going about the hallways.

"He seems more passionate about this than I expected. That's a gimme," Misato remarked, "He put me in charge of this to start with, but I'll end it as soon as possible the very moment I get the chance to."

"This may just be a death trap for you, though," Ritsuko commented.

Misato paused in the middle of the hallway. She glanced over to her friend, whom was surprisingly being serious about the statement. Ultimately, Misato could already understand Ritsuko with utmost sympathy. With all of the time locked in a dark room, she could probably understand her more than anyone else at this point**[2]**.

"Could it be any worse than what you have gone through?" Misato said with a little smirk, "If so, then I'm ready for the worst to come.

Ritsuko returned a slight smile. However, her smile faded when suddenly there were some running footsteps coming from across the hallway! Misato looked where she was facing and found two NERV personnel headed towards the two!

"Major Katsuragi! Major Katsuragi!" One of them had shouted.

"Report!" Misato ordered him.

They arrived to the two ladies, both panting in exhaustion from their running. The other member was holding a folder in their hands, in which he handed to Misato immediately.

"You're needed in the Command Center, pronto," The staff member said, "It's nothing like we've seen before."

"Alright, lets see what it is," Misato opened the folder and read the documents from within it. Ritsuko had looked over her shoulder shortly afterwards to read the report.

After they have both skimmed it for just a little, Misato's eyes had widened and her soul had sunk! She read the first words out loud that caught her attention.

"Oh my god…" Misato murmured, "The planet Mars suddenly vanishing from our solar system?"

"Maybe their telescopes were just broken that day?" Ritsuko asked.

"But no, this doesn't just come from anywhere," Misato commented, "The report wasn't filed by NERV, it came straight from the Japan Strategic Self Defense Force**[3]**. It's an omega-level threat judging by the circumstances!"

Ritsuko paused upon hearing Misato mentioning the JSSDF. It appeared as though the words spoken by Misato had shaken her. Misato question, "What?"

Ritsuko said, "A disappearance of a whole planet, though?" Trying to avoid the side subject.

"That's what's really bothering me about this," Misato implored with her finger pointed out towards the paper, "Look at this: _Unidentified object of incredible size seen hovering around the area at the very moment of the vanishing_."

"Dear lord!" Ritsuko jumped, "Now we have a problem on our hands."

"No doubt about it," Misato said, "Let's just get a closer look at it!"

* * *

><p>Heero had stood under the moonlight. In what appeared to be the remnants of the Lake Ashinoko, he found the area to be rather peaceful at this very hour at nighttime. It had been exactly what he needed. Though, it didn't feel like it was enough. He was burdened with a heavy amount of stress and much more. There were answers to questions that he desired. He wanted much more than just detachment from the current world.<p>

Looking across the lake, he noticed the moon's perfect reflection in the water – almost as beautiful as the moon directly above. There had been various traces of destruction scattered across this lake, indicating that terrible battles between Evangelion and Angels had occurred here at one point. He was only grateful that this place had retained some of its beauty.

He blinked. Suddenly, there was now a person standing on the lake! He couldn't identify it due to being a considerable distance away from it, but there was someone there. It appeared to be very light, almost the exact tint of the moon! Immediately, he prepared for an encounter.

He had looked away for a split second, only to absorb this most sudden sight of a random person. But when he had looked back, the figure was gone. Had his eyes deceived him in the first place? He wouldn't ever know. The once peaceful air had now turned into tension. Heero was again thrown into a mental anguish, in which he didn't even know the source from.

"Heero Yuy," A voice from behind now spoke, now breaking the atmosphere of peace and tranquility that once roamed the area.

He had turned around, and noticed two men in black suits and in sunglasses standing beside a car. Both of them had their sights locked onto Heero. Their serious expressions indicated that they meant business. Heero had turned around, taking his attention away from the fragrance of the moon. One of the men had spoken:

"You're needed."

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>The pair of broken glasses that Rei Ayanami keeps is a symbol throughout the show. As seen is episode 4, it is revealed the glasses belonged to Commander Ikari originally. By rescuing her from a disaster involving Eva Unit 00, these glasses remind her of that very moment which Ikari alone had saved her. The object serves as a bonding artifact between Rei and those she deeply cares about, particularly Gendo and Shinji Ikari.

**[2] **The later episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion reveal Misato's dark history. In spite of her well-known lively personality, she holds a dreadful, isolated past following the events of Second Impact. She had changed drastically through various events preceding that of the original Evangelion storyline.

**[3] **The Japan Strategic Self Defense Force (JSSDF) is a military organization within the Evangelion universe. It's role is rather minor, overall, but is notorious for the creation of N2 mines to counter the Angels as seen in episode 1. It was formed as a result of post-Second Impact conflicts. They are considered to be a powerful ally to NERV, but their most defining roll is seen through the movie, The End of Evangelion.


	15. Chapter 15

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Reading this all over again... I really shouldn't have capitalized Nerv as NERV. It's mainly due to the fact it's an acronym that I decided to do it that way. Oh well.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

It was already getting late. Duo had begun on the trail for home with his hands in his pockets, limping. The sun was setting from right behind him, casting a shadow of the Tokyo-3 skyline upon him. He looked around and noticed that all of the civilians of the city have already entered their quarters and are no longer wandering the streets as he. It made this walk home feel lonelier.

"Man. This bites," Duo flung off his black cap and watched it as it land atop of a bench. He head over to the bench and leaped his entire body onto the bench, and took a relaxing position to watch the now-visible stars above. He now observed them, one after another, trying to find a random constellation possibly within sight. He muttered, "I've never been in such a…I don't know. Bad mood, lately."

He continued to stare at stars for the next several minutes, in which eventually the sun had eventually disappeared and the moon had shown. It had been completely and utterly silent, now. Despite being in a residential area of a metropolitan area, he was still very surprised to know that this city actually "sleeps." It may just have been him, but as far as he knew, every sound in the universe had completely detached from him.

Suddenly, he heard what was supposedly ticking. Duo blinked. The noise grew a little louder, which was now more of a knocking on a door. He sat up from the bench and slipped his cap back on, in which he now heard the sound at its fullest. He could now recognize it to be the dribbling of a basketball! He checked his surroundings and noticed that there were basketball courts just across the road from the bench he sat in.

"Well I'll be!" Duo yelled to himself, "This is the exact spot where I've met that…" Duo ate his words when he left the bench and immediately raced across the street. He noticed a figure sitting on a wheelchair – under a single streetlight – shooting hoops despite being in his condition. However, it didn't take long for Duo to realize that this was the same boy he saw weeks ago whom he found playing basketball.

A little bit upset by the results from his encounter from before, he found this the golden opportunity to actually make acquaintance with this lonely fellow. He noticed on the boy's face that he had a frown – almost like Shinji's – but held a more serious tone.

"Hey, buddy!" Duo called out. The boy didn't return him any attention. Duo noticed the fence was climbable, so without hesitation he clenched onto the fence and started to climb upward. The moment he reached the top, he pulled his legs up and leaped over the fence, landing flat on his feet on the other side. He dashed over to the boy, whom he just noticed swished a three-pointer. Rather than the boy go retrieve the ball, he instead turned to Duo.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"That was some sick shooting you had there. Whaddya say we have a little one-on-one?" Duo asked as he went to retrieve the ball for him.

"I'm good," The boy blinked and uttered hastily. Duo gently handed the ball to him, in which he swiped out of his hands abruptly.

"Buddy…" Duo said, "I'm just here to help out, mayb-…"

"With what?" The boy said, now placing the basketball on his lap, "You can't undo what's happen in the past, can you?"

"No," Duo said, shocked to hear this boy's rather harsh statement.

"Okay, there you have it. You can't really help me to begin with. Goodbye." The boy put his hands back on the wheelchair's wheels and started moving towards the exit of the fenced courts. Duo felt he was struck heavily on the head by a mallet, and he felt completely crushed. Duo wanted to say more, but the only words that could come to his mind right now are:

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Duo found himself saying in words, instead.

The boy stopped in the middle of the court, holding his hands by the sides of the wheels. Without turning his head, he had said back to Duo, "The name's Toji**[1]**."

Duo now watched as this boy, Toji, exited the basketball courts. He was now alone again, standing under the same streetlight where he originally found him. Duo had felt, and he even knew, that he would never encounter Toji again. _What was his problem_? He asked himself. He desired greatly the answer, but it seemed hopeless at this point. He sat down on the soil that the light from above illuminated. He brought his knees together and hugged softly his legs, and simply stared at the hard ground.

* * *

><p>"Why should I care that he's about to go on his first mission? It's not like I have any business there anymore!" Asuka shouted out to Shinji as she had her eyes glued onto a textbook before her. She was wearing her sleeping clothes already – tight, short shorts and a t-shirt – and was studying intensely for something.<p>

"But Asuka…" Shinji murmured, "I'm only telling you that Misato wanted you there. She dispatched you. She didn't call for me for some reason."

"Good!" Asuka said, pulling the book closer to her face, "She's gonna have to wait until Fourth Impact if she expects me to go anywhere near NERV Headquarters again!" She put one book aside and picked up another, and then continued, "Not to mention they have one less whiny idiot to worry about."

Shinji was supposed to feel utterly disgusted with Asuka's attitude right now, but he simply couldn't. She was insulting him, but he couldn't feel hurt by her remarks for some odd reason. Trying to take another step into the room, scared of another word from her, he tried to assert more that she was needed at the headquarters this very hour.

"W-what's so important you're doing there, anyway?" Shinji asked.

"I have a test tomorrow. It's already 8 PM, and it's the golden time for me to get some studying done. Does that answer all of your questions?" Asuka muttered.

"That can't be all, can it?"

"Well, it is. Deal with it," Asuka asserted in a calmer, but still harsh tone.

Shinji knew right from the start that she wouldn't listen to him. _But why bother_? He thought. She was living in the past, just like he. He had thought momentarily, that…

"WILL YOU JUST SCRAM ALREADY, SHINJI?!" Asuka said, throwing the book in her hands at Shinji's chest. Shinji appeared as if he were going to burst into tears. Asuka continued to yell at him, "I've just about had it with you just standing there, day after day, with that miserable look on your face! _Just pleading for sympathy_. It doesn't affect me at all, you know that?"

"No…"

"I don't care whatever shit happens out there. Just _leave_. _Me_. ALONE!" Asuka said as she took her pillow and wrapped it around her head, hoping to shun every form of existence of Shinji away from her.

Shinji closed the door to the room, the one that they had been sharing for a long time. He dared not to describe the horrors. Both he and Asuka knew them off the top of their heads. In that hallway, he stood for minutes, staring horridly at the walls, which he felt to be closing in on every corner.

However, a sound broke his trail of deep anguish. It was a knocking of the door! Turning his head to his side, Shinji had found the door. Walking over to it, he hesitantly reached his hand out to touch the knob. _What will Asuka say if it's visitors_? He could tremble in fear at any moment just predicting what she would do. His fear had reached beyond its limits, when in reality it probably wouldn't even be so bad. He blinked several times. _Why am I overreacting to just a little knock on the door?_ The thought tormented Shinji as it rang numerous times in his head.

However, it was too late to make a second move. His hand was already on the doorknob, turning it slowly.

"Shinji, are you there?" A familiar voice spoke, and Shinji immediately recognized it to be Duo!

Duo had pushed the door open in an instant, pushing Shinji back slightly. He appeared to be exhausted from a lot of running, as if he had just run a marathon just to get here.

"Duo?" Shinji jumped. He rushed to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water for him. While taking out an empty cup from the cabinet and filling it from the sink, he noticed Duo limping in. Shinji asked as he handed the cup to Duo, "What's the matter?"

Duo wiped the sweat off of his forehead and threw his cap aside, "Have you not looked outside yet, today?"

"No, why?"

"It's hovering right above Tokyo-3! How did you miss it?!" Duo gulped down the water and rushed across the hallway, opening the doors to the room Shinji just closed minutes ago! Shinji was shocked immensely when he realized he had just interrupted Asuka! He felt this was the absolute worst time for him to come by for a visit.

Shinji looked across the hallway and noticed Duo was outside at the mini-balcony of Misato's apartment, searching the skies for whatever he was talking about.

"HEY!" He suddenly heard Asuka roar, "What the hell are you doing here, Duo Maxwell?! HOW DARE YOU BARGE INTO A LADY'S ROOM LIKE THIS!"

"Sorry Asuka…" Duo said, "But you see now, I saw something today and…" Duo turned his head but noticed Asuka was right behind him, glaring at him with rage! Duo gulped, "First off, take a chill pill. Just let me show Shinji what I saw and then I'll be on my way. It's a life or death situation we're talking about, girl."

Asuka teeth started to grit in anger, "I swear… Come one more step into my personal space and-…"

"There it is!" Duo interrupted as he glanced over his shoulder! He suddenly felt Asuka grab onto his shirt collar with both of her hands. He didn't even have to look to tell that she was _really_ mad.

Shinji followed, holding the spot besides Duo. He focused his eyes on the direction Duo just pointed out. The sky had been completely dark from his angle. However, there was some kind of a mysterious circle in the sky. This had been what Duo just saw! The circle looked like a kind of solar eclipse of some sort, only it appeared during nighttime! It was a thick, black circle in the center of the sky with a ring of fiery light. It was enormous. Its diameter could perhaps span the half of the entire city!

"Do you believe me now?" Duo said to Asuka, whom had her hands gripped on his front shirt collar. She had let go of him, now staring at the sky in mixed feelings of awe and fear.

"_Oh my… God_," Asuka said under her breath.

* * *

><p>Heero sat on a bench in the men's locker room of headquarters. He was the only one in this room. In his hands he held the headset for synchronization, which he had put on immediately. On a small button on the wrist of his plugsuit, there was a tiny button he found. Pressing it, the once loose plugsuit had now hugged his entire body tightly. He checked again his hands, clenching them into fists for a moment and then letting go. The suit had fit him perfectly. He was ready for whatever to come his way.<p>

There was then a knock on the door. It was a signal that it was time to go. He head over to the door, in which he knew the same men whom brought him here were standing there. Opening the door, there they were already. They were his escorts throughout Central Dogma, and since they had found him, he had not said a word to either of them.

"We mustn't waste any more time. Lets go," One of the men said and beckoned him to follow.

He did so follow. In deep silence, he trailed their ways throughout the premises of headquarters. He was being taken to the Evangelions, he knew. That was his next destination, he had known even before these men had summoned him. However, he still felt a deep reluctance to follow them. He did not show it, but he held a great fear of the Eva Unit destroying him like it had last time. Once again, he formed fists out of his hands, bracing himself for what is about to come.

Finally, after following these men without even taking awareness to where he was going, he found himself in a large hangar-like room. It was so large that three of the Eva Units were in there – Units 01, 02, and even Custom Unit 00. Custom Unit 00 was the Evangelion that was before his nose. He looked up upon it – standing tall and strong. He would have to disregard its striking similarities to Wing Zero. In fact, he had just noticed that NERV had given it an all-new paintjob. It was completely white, resembling that of an angel by now. Rather than an angel, he felt this unit was a monster. It was indeed looking down on him – a stare more frightening than even Eva Unit 01. It peered into his soul, arousing a feel of dismay.

"Heero, there you are!" Misato had yelled from across the room.

He turned his attention to her. Heero had noticed that Rei was standing besides her in her own plugsuit – which was a white color instead of the dark bluish tint of his own. She, too, also wore the headset that wrapped around his head at the moment.

The men had left Heero's side, indicating that he was now Misato's responsibility. He proceeded to walk in front of the two. Heero had noticed that Misato hadn't been her cheerful self at the moment. She appeared, instead, to be in an orderly manner. She was in charge of everything around her that moved and breathed with an iron fish.

"Good evening. Welcome to a new facility of Central Dogma. We did a lot of work on your Eva Unit here, which we're now performing on the two others. I called you hear for some urgent briefing," Misato said. Heero replied with a nod. She continued, "Rei has already heard my little speech on the situation, but I may as well tell you the whole thing, too. So here we go…"

Heero heard someone talk rather loudly from behind him, however. It distracted him from what Misato was about to say, until he realized that the same thing caught her attention.

"But yeah. You wouldn't believe that huge jump-scare the thing gave me! It's phenomenal, I tell ya!" Someone had yelled from behind him.

Heero turned and noticed it was Duo and his friends, Shinji and Asuka. Asuka had been in a plugsuit, as well – colored bright orange and red. Heero and Rei turned to them, simply staring. When they had arrived to the spot, Duo began to snicker.

"Ha. I'd never knew you'd look so good in a plugsuit, Heero. Not many dudes like you have the guts to wear something that tight!" Duo humorously said. Heero's squinted his eyes in irritation.

"Glad you decided to show up, Asuka," Misato remarked.

"Whatever, Misato," Asuka said, "I clearly came out of my own misery, as you can see." Asuka jerked her head towards Shinji and then to Duo, whom was still chuckling at Heero's outfit.

"Alright," Misato cleared her throat and began to speak, "In a nutshell, we've detected an atrociously powerful AT Field just above the city a little over an hour ago. Whatever it is up there is completely invisible, but it'd have to be made by some sort of organic material of an Angel in order to generate that powerful of an AT Field."

Duo stopped laughing and began speaking, "Hold your horses for just a second. Invisible? There's a flippin' huge ring of fire above the city!"

"That's the AT Field you were looking at, Duo," Ritsuko's voice was heard from their side. To their left, Ritsuko just left a group of scientists in order to give them a little more information, "That's right. Only this AT Field is special in some sort of way that we're not aware of. It's made of layers and layers that it became visible to the naked eye in the dark sky. Whatever it's protecting must be something deadlier than the field itself."

"It's far up in the edge of the troposphere. Clearly not as far up as a previous Angel**[2] **was, but it's close enough for an Eva Unit to reach," Misato described.

"Excellent," Heero said. The others had all turned to him. He continued, "If my Eva Unit can reach that far up high by flying alone, I should have no problem destroying it."

"Hold up there, sport," Misato said, "You're not going up there alone." Heero raised an eyebrow in response. Misato continued with a proposal, "Eva Unit 02 will need to assist you in piercing that potentially impenetrable AT Field. The military has already tested various N2 weapons**[3]** on the field while you were on your way here, and were completely ineffective. You're going to need as much help on this as you can."

"Not even the positron rifle had any effect**[4]**?" Rei asked.

Misato shook her head, "The distance is still too great for the weapon to reach that far and pierce an enormous level of AT Field strength**[5]**."

Asuka stepped forward, shoving Duo and Shinji to her side. She spoke bitterly, "All that aside…Get real! Eva Unit 02 can't fly!"

"That was until we looked at Wing Zero and Deathscythe and borrowed a few of its thrusters. We adapted it into our own version for the Evangelions, and now they hold a special pack with flight capabilities," Ritsuko explained.

"And how will it stay in the air for that long a time?" Asuka asked.

"We couldn't duplicate the S2 Engine of Unit 01. Instead, just for this mission only, we added the same nuclear reactor**[6]** from the mobile suits and Custom Unit 00 into Unit 02. It's only useful for this time only," Ritsuko explained. A NERV staff member working on Unit 01 then began calling her name. She left them to assist that person.

"Alright, then," Misato said, "Any other questions from you all? Also, the Commander put me in complete charge of this mission. He will not be speaking during the entire mission due to classified reasons."

"Classified?" Heero said, growing suspicious.

"Yep," Misato said, "Operation will began pronto tomorrow morning at exactly eight hours. We've been warned to stay clear of the skies until then. I'll brief you some more as soon as I get more information on the matter. Sound good to you three?"

Duo was the only one whom nodded. Misato returned a wink and a thumbs-up, "Good. Rei, Asuka, Heero, you're welcome to relax anywhere about headquarters. Be here at the right time tomorrow. You got that?" Misato left them before she could get an answer from any of them.

They were all quiet now. Asuka, however, suddenly placed her hand on Heero's shoulder and spun him so that he would face her direction. She smirked, but at the same time her attitude appeared to be rather bitter.

"So here you are, taking Shinji's spot as the boy of our group," Asuka then turned to Rei, "And you, Wonder Girl? I take it you're gonna pilot Eva Unit 01, now?"

"Yes," Rei said with a nod.

Asuka returned her attention to Heero, "Afraid the Eva Unit's gonna turn on you again like what happened last night? You would think that Misato would have the brains to give you time before piloting the thing again, huh? After all, we wouldn't wanna hear about another horrible incident, would we?"

Heero didn't say a word. He only stared into her cold eyes with his own. She was as tall as he, and her eyes were perfectly aligned with his.

"That's enough, Asuka," Duo interrupted the two, placing his arms in between them and attempting to push them apart. He looked at Asuka in particular, "Don't put the guy down. He's had a really rough past few weeks, and last night was just awful for him. That's really not cool."

"Well, what do you know? Idiot. He's not the only one that's had some kind of an incident like that!" Asuka declared to Duo.

"Well, don't rub it in!" Duo said.

"Your filthy words fail to move me, anyway," Heero said. He turned around and head out towards the same way he entered. He closed his eyes and completely disregarded those who were behind him.

Asuka shoved Duo to her side, "You had better just not be a complete and utter failure like the previous pilot was!"

Shinji gasped. He was next to leave the group upon hearing Asuka's words. He followed Heero out, perhaps in the same manner that Heero was currently in. He felt maybe even worse.

Rei suddenly turned to Asuka, "You do not know when to stop, do you?"

"I'm piloting this stupid Eva Unit again! Do you know what it's like to be in my shoes for a moment?" Asuka yelled back.

"Why must we? It is you who's being so selfish and arrogant right now," Rei responded softly.

Asuka gave her a shove, "You're an idiot. Just like them."

Rei simply backed away, retaining a completely blank face. Eventually, she made her way out where Heero and Shinji went. That left Duo and Asuka in this facility. The loud noises of construction on the Eva Units had flooded the atmosphere. However, Asuka turned her head to Duo with her arms crossed.

"What are you still standing there for? Aren't you gonna follow them?" Asuka said.

"I-I don't know what to say…" Duo said.

"Exactly. So beat it!"

"Asuka…" Duo said calmly, "I really don't feel like you're actually like this. You and Shinji both."

"You don't know me or the hell I've been through."

"I don't think I really have to know, anyway," Duo shook his head and sighed. He placed his hands in his pockets and started to head out. He turned his head to her one time and said: "See ya, and good luck tomorrow."

As the doors closed in from behind Duo. Asuka uncrossed her arms and grinned a little wickedly, "Good riddance."

* * *

><p>Heero stood with his back leaning against a wall. He was alone in an empty hallway in headquarters. He would have to wait about ten hours before it was time to begin the mission. At any moment, he could fall asleep, but he was too anxious to know what was to come tomorrow. Once again, in spite of the quiet atmosphere of this hallway, he couldn't find any peace. The anxiety could also consume him any minute now.<p>

"Heero?" Shinji's voice rang from across the hallway. Heero knew it was him already, just through sheer feeling alone. His footsteps grew louder as Shinji approached him closer.

"Hey," Heero responded.

"I-I see it's really you who's going up there in this mission," Shinji said worriedly.

"Shouldn't it be you piloting Eva Unit 01, and not Rei?" Heero asked.

"Well…" Shinji paused and began to speak in a dire tone, "Why bother? I wouldn't do it any better than she would. It's not like they wanted me piloting the thing, anyway…"

Heero suddenly opened his eyes and lunged towards Shinji! He grabbed him by the shirt collar and drove him against the wall! Pushing him up the wall, Shinji looked down at Heero with extreme horror! He kicked his feet violently from side to side, in hopes that he would release the grip on him.

Heero shot him a terrifying glare! He looked up into Shinji's eyes and noticed he would burst into tears if Heero did anything further.

"Aren't you gonna fight back?" Heero asked, "Do it! Strike me in the face! Knee me in the chin! Kill me right now if you want. I'M NOT AFRAID!" Heero demanded.

Shinji gulped. Heero could tell by looking into his eyes, that Shinji would break down mentally if he continuously did this. Heero was breaking this boy, tearing him apart nerve by nerve until he finally lost himself. He noticed Shinji shut his eyes tight, with tears now flooding down his face! Alas, Shinji had screamed at the peak of his vocal cords! Shinji had pulled his hand back, clenched it into a fist, and with a swift motion, he punched Heero across the face!

Heero had been knocked back hard! He fell straight into the hard floor behind him, with a small drop of blood flowing out of his mouth and onto the floor! He coughed onto the ground, wiping away the wound on his face!

Shinji, however, fell to his knees when Heero had released the grip. He had his knuckled planted into the ground. One tear after another, he stared into the ground and watched as all of his tears fell. He was now crying, Heero saw. Heero had driven him to the limits of his mental capacity, and now he witnesses the results of his actions. This boy would emit an uncontrollable level of rage if pushed to such limits. Placing his hand on his own cheek, he felt the great amount of pain that Shinji had dealt on him.

"H-Heero… I'm so sorry!" Shinji faintly said, "I-I shouldn't have done tha-…"

Heero stood up when all of the blood was wiped off of his mouth. He grabbed Shinji by his shoulders and helped him onto his feet before he could finish what he was going to say. Heero stared into the eyes of this boy, now in deep misery. Heero could feel it, but could not express it with words alone – a feeling of empathy. Heero closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Shinji, hugging him tightly. He let this hug express the meaning of what he would say. It's the first time he had held someone like this for a great amount of time. He couldn't even comprehend what he was doing at this very moment. He could hear that Shinji had stopped crying. Now, he could finally feel more happiness, but just couldn't show it.

Heero had let go by simply lowering his arms and backing away. He turned to his right, where he would head to a place where he could rest for the night. He left Shinji standing in the hallway, whom was shedding the last of his tears. However, he paused in the middle of the hallway. Without turning his head, he murmured:

"Shinji… May I ask you one question?"

"S-sure." Shinji said.

"Asuka Langley Soryu. She wasn't always of such manner before, was she?" He asked solemnly.

He waited a minute for his response. Heero would give Shinji all the time in the world at this point. Finally, after he heard Shinji stop crying completely, he spoke:

"No. She really wasn't," Shinji whispered.

Heero nodded, without turning to him again. Before he went on his way again, he reflected upon his actions for driving Shinji to his limits. Gently laying his hands to his sides, he said in a very quiet tone, "I'm sorry."

He started to walk. Heero realized that this could have perhaps been the only time in his entire lifetime that he would feel a great empathy for someone. No, it couldn't have been the first time. He could feel it for all human beings, but oddly, this occasion for Shinji just seemed special to him.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Toji Suzuhara is a supporting character from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Originally a bully to protagonist Shinji Ikari, he eventually becomes his friend. He has a dreadful history of a deceased mother and a sister whom suffered from a fatality from Eva Unit 01. He is classified mainly by his friendships with Shinji, Kensuke, and Hikari Horaki. He is also a sporty person and plays basketball a lot. He is later chosen as the Fourth Child and pilot of Eva Unit 03. Upon piloting the unit, it is infected by the angel, Bardiel, and is defeated by Shinji upon force by Commander Ikari. He is severely injured and loses his leg after the incident. He does not make a major appearance in the show after this event (Episode 23).

**[2] **Two Angels from Eva are known to have laid their wrath from a great altitude. They are: Sahaquiel (10th Angel) and Arael (15th Angel).

**[3] **N2 weapons are regarded as the strongest weapons created by mankind in the Evangelion universe, aside from the Evangelions themselves. Unlike ordinary nuclear weapons, they leave no radioactive fallout. They are powerful to take down weak Angels, but they lack the potential to break AT Fields or destroy stronger Angels.

**[4] **The positron sniper rifle is an extremely powerful weapon most notably used against Ramiel, the 5th Angel. It is so immensely powerful that it required energy from almost all of Japan to simply fire. It was capable of piercing one of the most powerful AT Fields in the series.

**[5] **It should be noted that against Arael, the 15th Angel was so far up in the Earth's orbit that the positron rifle's firepower had failed to penetrate the AT Field.

**[6] **The main source of power in many mobile suits (not just in Gundam Wing, but in almost every suit in the Gundam franchise) holds an ultracompact fusion reactor as its main power source, which clearly is a more reliable source of power than Evangelion's umbilical cables.


	16. Chapter 16

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

"So this thing can fly, now? So what?" Asuka rudely remarked.

Two Eva Units, Custom Unit 00 and Unit 02, were now ascending up into the lower layer of the atmosphere. Now in bright daylight, Nerv was now able to pinpoint a precise location of the Angel via radar and plain view. Upon undertaking a large process of tracking down the possible Angel, the main generator of the AT Field appears to be instead above the Tokyo-3's edge, but slowly moving towards the city.

"Asuka, give it a rest," Misato demanded her, "You're about 30 kilometers above ground level, already. In fact, you're not even far off from the source."

"Whatever!" Asuka replied.

She glanced over to her side to where Custom Unit 00 was still ahead of her unit. She had noticed Heero had been so calm about this mission, and has not spoken a single word to her or anyone since last night. She, too, felt a little more reserved, but only because she wanted to get this mission done and over with.

She murmured to herself, "Nerv… What a joke. To hell with this whole garbage heap, including this unit."

Asuka then shot a sharp look towards Custom Unit 00, although she knew that Heero was paying absolutely no attention to her. She then said under her breath, "You don't know it, yet. But you're just as big an idiot as Shinji is. Just wait and see, asshole."

* * *

><p>Duo and Shinji, meanwhile, were wandering the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Shinji had been following him for some time, as Duo had not even mentioned where they were going. Pausing in the middle of the woods, Duo sighed in relief and stretched his arms far outward.<p>

"The thrill of your lifetime is just up ahead!" Duo said, but then turned his attention to Shinji, "Totally off-topic…I am curious, Shinji. How is Asuka able to pilot her Eva Unit again?" Duo asked, turning to Shinji while resting his back against a tree.

Shinji raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Heero Yuy almighty had to go into deep analysis the other day of the skyrocketing mental poisoning levels and low synch rate or whatever for some time**[1]**," Duo said in a mocking fashion.

"Oh, um…" Shinji gulped.

Duo looked at Shinji, who just seemed to be silent on the matter overall. He could somehow feel that he knew the answer, judging by the way he was trying to keep silent. Duo stopped leaning against the tree, and just watched Shinji in silence. Crossing his arms, he tapped his pointer finger on his other arm a few times, until Shinji finally spoke.

"I-I don't know. I can't say…" Shinji spoke silently.

Duo shrugged and smiled, "I guess we can't know an answer to everything."

Duo turned around once again and dashed forward into the woods. He beckoned Shinji to follow. As Shinji began to follow behind, he couldn't keep up with Duo's speed. Slowly becoming short of breath, he suddenly noticed that Duo had already stopped in the middle of the woods. He had noticed that he was standing there like a proud man of some sort, but yet he couldn't understand the source of his delight.

"Well, my friend, we meet again!" Duo happily exclaimed out loud.

Shinji, who struggled all the way to where Duo was, paused while standing right next to Duo. He panted heavily, despite only running for about three minutes. He noticed that they were standing in a rather open lot where there were no trees or twigs, which was quite unusual for being in the middle of the woods.

"Whoa buddy! Before you go any forward, just stop right here," Duo ordered while sticking his arm out in front of Shinji, telling him to not go. Duo smirked, "You don't wanna bump your head or anything."

"Wait, what is it? And why'd you bring me here?" Shinji questioned in deep confusion.

"Silly Shinji, glad you asked." Duo said. Duo suddenly leaped into the air and landed. Shinji gasped, noticing at the spot he landed on – thin air! He felt his jaw drop when he noticed Duo had been running aboard the air. Was there some kind of invisible platform that he couldn't see?

He now heard a sound – like the opening of some sort of compartment! Then, he saw Duo jump downward – and disappeared into thin air! He was nowhere to be seen at all. A great shock of fear then hit him.

"D-Duo? DUO?!" Shinji called out in shock when Duo couldn't be seen at all by his naked eye. He began to panic and started to back away slowly in fright.

After about ten seconds of waiting, he finally heard a voice: "All systems lookin' good. There we go!"

Suddenly, a large, black object appeared right before Shinji! It was colossal, taking up the entire lot! Parts of it began to become visible – appearing to have arms and legs. It was another machine, a robot just like the Eva Units! It appeared to be much smaller, however, and held a more generic structure of a humanoid robot rather than the complex builds of the Eva Units! Its many distinct physical features – in which he couldn't name all of them – are what separated the design of this machine as opposed to the Eva Unit.

He then looked to his side and was even more shocked to notice that the robot had black devil-like wings! Overall, the fact that this robot suddenly appeared in front of him was frightening enough! He pulled his knees to his chest and covered his head in his arms.

"Shinji, what's the matter?" He heard Duo say.

Moving his arm to the point where one of his eyes could see, he noticed Duo standing atop the enormous machine. He uncrossed his arms, and stood up. He tried to walk towards where Duo was, but felt so dizzy right now that he couldn't walk straight.

"Don't EVER do that again!" Shinji cried out to him. He now took some deep breaths while trying to regain his posture.

Duo blushed and smiled, "Forgot to mention to you about Deathscythe's little function**[2]**. But anyhow…All aboard?" He said, holding his hand out to let Shinji climb aboard.

* * *

><p>"There it is! You see it now, right?" Misato declared as the object was now in-sight from the Command Center's point of view.<p>

Kozo walked into the scene from behind Misato and remarked, "Yet another UFO? Like we haven't seen many of those before."

Back out in the skies, the two Eva Units were now floating in midair, awaiting the orders from the Command Center. Heero concentrated his sights forward; waving his eyes from side to side when suddenly he found the object projecting this AT Field. From this distance, it looked like a flying saucer.

"Yeah…We see it!" Asuka suddenly uttered without Heero's confirmation.

"Heero, can you hear me?" Misato asked. She saw Heero nod through the internal cameras of the Eva cockpit. She continued, "Fire a low-output shot from your buster rifle towards that thing and we'll try to estimate the situation of this AT Field."

"Roger," Heero remarked.

"Of course, you got the guinea pig to take this risk…" Asuka murmured. Misato could hear her, and simply responded with a mild grumble for Asuka's bitterness.

Heero, holding the segments of the newly improved version of the twin buster rifle in both of the units hands, brought the two pieces together in front of him. Securing the two guns together in front of him, the weapons had automatically merged into one cannon of destruction. Locking both his sights and the weapon's crosshairs towards the massive floating object, he found himself concentrated intensely at this task.

"Target locked**[3]**," Heero said.

Pulling the triggers, a powerful wave of firepower ignited out of the rifle! The beam had raced towards the midair object like a bullet! Already, he was overwhelmed and in shock of the tremendous jump in power compared to the Gundam's! Within moments, Heero now witnessed the beam ending in its path. The beam had collided with an invisible wall, slowly turning the immense power into nothing! The tail of the beam had now reached the AT Field, and alas the shot had ceased. Heero was put into great shock again, learning that all of the firepower capable of destroying a whole city was only a mild prick to this AT Field.

"Incredible!" Misato jumped, "So that's what the new model of the weapon can do!"

"Major Katsuragi," Kozo remarked, "Now's not the time to get excited by the mechanisms of the new prototype. Stick to the priority of taking down this Angel."

"Right. Sorry Commander," Misato said, focusing her attention back at hand.

"Alright, so Heero just failed at making a dent in this AT Field. Now what?" Asuka asked from her unit.

"We're gonna have to try this the hard way, now. It'll take both of you, however," Misato explained, "The propulsion capability by Custom Unit 00 enable the unit to pierce through AT Fields like thin paper. With this level of the field, however, Heero will need some assistance from a unit with higher capability of breaking AT Fields as such. That will be you and Unit 02, Asuka. Once you've breached the last layer, don't hesitate to go ahead and destroy it."

"Are you serious?" Asuka complained, "Me working together with him?"

Misato slammed her fists on the panel next to the computers, "JUST DO IT ALREADY! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Misato screamed towards her in sheer anger and disgust. The entire Command Center turned towards her and stared in shock at her sudden outburst in temper. Misato then took a deep breath and said, "Sorry everyone… Let's get rolling."

* * *

><p>"What exactly is this thing?" Shinji asked.<p>

"Well, it's a Gundam," Duo happily remarked.

Duo had been sitting at the cockpit's seat while Shinji was taking up the available space behind it. The latter had been wandering his eyes about the strange, new cockpit of this machine that looked far different from the Eva's. He could tell this robot was much more simple, but the control panel certainly wasn't. There were so many buttons lying before Duo, he couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to handle so much.

"So… You wanna see me take this thing for a spin?" Duo asked.

"We really shouldn't. Isn't that how you got in trouble the first time when you first came here?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, relax. Ritsuko informed me that as long as we stay outta the city border and don't go into any other regions of Japan, nobody will suspect a thing! After all, Nerv was the one that hid this thing, but permitted me to use it again anytime seeing as though Heero and I aren't fugitives anymore."

Shinji gulped. He's never actually experienced true flight before, aside from the short helicopter ride that Misato once brought him**[4]**. Knowing that this unit had wings of its own, he wondered how fast this machine was in the air. Another thought hit him at the same time, the fact that Duo seems to be talking to Ritsuko a lot in his time in Tokyo-3.

"Why do you seem to talk to her a lot?" Shinji asked.

"Who, Ritsuko? Blah, she's been having bad days one after another. Everybody needs someone to make a friend of sometime, ya know?" Duo smiled at him with a thumbs-up.

Shinji returned a little smile in return. He was beginning to realize a little more of Duo's warm-heartedness. He was so positive in every aspect, as opposed to Heero whom seemed cold all the time. He could feel it already, that Duo was someone he'd like to spend this kind of quality time with. It was a very strange feeling, as there was still something holding him back from such. He wanted to analyze this happiness of his more, but Duo then returned his attention forward and began speaking:

"The machine's not as mobile as the Eva Units you've piloted. But hey, Deathscythe Hell can fly around wherever to your heart's desire! You won't have to worry about the machine's power supply as much," Duo said as he stretched out his fingers in front of him.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go along…" Shinji said quietly.

"What are we waiting for, then? Lets go!"

The moment Duo placed his hands on the control panel, Shinji could already feel himself ascending. Grabbing on tight to the cockpit chair, he waited for the worst to come next. Looking outside, the Gundam was merely trying to stand up. The moment it would take flight would be the time where he could lose control of his wits!

"Hang on, Shinji! Don't worry about a thing! You ain't gonna fall out!" Duo exclaimed!

Suddenly, Shinji could feel the machine leave the ground! Looking outside, the Gundam had already been flying! He felt the air pressure pushing down on his shoulders and his stomach rising and falling! He could puke at any moment from the dizziness! Closing his eyes and hugging the chair tightly, he was prepared to scream out loud in terror.

However, a full minute had passed and suddenly he couldn't feel it any longer. Noticing he had been clenching tight to the cockpit seat, he had let go and noticed he felt perfectly fine. He looked outside, noticing that he had been at greater heights, now. Shinji could now see the magnificence of flying above the mountains surrounding Tokyo-3. Just like a bird, he thought.

"What do ya think so far?" Duo asked.

Shinji was once again hesitant to make his say. Looking outside a second time, he watched as the Gundam flew past a small family of birds. His eyes widened at the wondrous sight.

"I-I like it…" Shinji said under his breath.

* * *

><p>The two pilots were now just before the floating object and now had a perfect view of what this was. It didn't have the properties of an Angel, but all they knew was that it was massive machine. Like a moving fortress, Heero could see that it was very well-protected – armed with cannons and other armaments attached to it. However, looking even more closely…He could suddenly perfectly recognize the shape and structure of this monstrous machine. It almost perfectly resembled Libra<strong>[5]<strong>, the monstrous fortress of the White Fang!

He was suddenly flooded with images. He remembered a scene of a war, with he in Wing Zero and Duo in Deathscythe Hell. There were also three other robots, of whom he remembered their pilots but just not the actual event, itself. He only remembered Trowa for some reason. However, the visions of two others were vague to him at best. His mind was scattered in many different areas, mostly concentrated on these reminiscences as well as the mission at hand.

The mission was to destroy this, but he couldn't. There were probably answers from inside this floating fortress. If it was identical to Libra this much, there was bound to be traces of the past, as well. He couldn't destroy this as planned. He simply couldn't, just yet.

"Heero? Listen to me!" Asuka's voice suddenly shouted out to him.

Heero blinked. Whatever he was thinking of before was now gone. All that mattered was that an object projecting a powerful AT Field was to be destroyed. Yet somehow this moving fortress aroused some kind of nostalgic mood within him. Again, that didn't matter at all.

"Alright, Heero. I know a lot about these AT Fields, and they're not as hard to break as you think," Asuka said then yelled bitterly, "You'd better bear with me, is all!"

"Right," Heero responded.

Heero watched as Unit 02 pulled out its progressive knife and started its way towards the edge of the AT Field.

"You should be far down enough to zip straight through once I start this. But when I say go, you go through immediately. Got that?" Asuka ordered.

"Yes," Heero stated. Reaching into the holster in the Units shoulder, Heero pulled out the handle to Custom Unit 00's progressive sword.

"Get ready!" Asuka shouted out to him. Heero watched her as Unit 02 attempted to jab a hole into the AT Field with its prog knife! It appeared to be with extreme difficulty, as it looks as though there was little progress being done! Using both of its hands, now, it strived harder to drive the knife through the thick AT Field!

"This isn't working! Hand me that sword of yours!" Asuka demanded.

Heero did what she asked him to do and tossed the prog sword handle above. Catching it with one hand, Unit 02 immediately ignited the energy blade from the sword! Already, Asuka had driven both prog weapons into the thick barrier! Slowly and slowly, a layer of the AT Field would crumble away. However, Heero could hear from her cockpit that she was putting all of her effort into breaking this wall!

"Let me help you! You can't do this yourself!" Heero shouted.

"Back off, Heero! I'm just here to get this done and over with!" Asuka said, now sweating mightily from all of her effort!

At last, Heero could see a small hole within the AT Field! The walls around it had been glowing in many different colors, which was how he could tell there was now progress being made. He now witnessed as Asuka dropped the two blades and now stuck her hands into the small opening! She was now resisting the great pressure of this powerful field, attempting to open the hole as wide as she can!

There, the hole was widening slowly but surely. Heero could hear Asuka's panting grow louder. He could tell she was pushing to her utmost limits! For once, Heero could hear her own pain, but it wasn't only the physical stress she was putting on her body right now. He closed his eyes and clenched the handles before him tightly, feeling he was detecting something about Asuka that he hadn't known before.

"GO IN, YOU IDIOT! I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN DO THIS!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs!

"Damn it…" Heero once again realized that he lost focus of the mission. He had also noticed that Unit 02's feet were also keeping the hole open. Stretching its entire body outward, the hole was now large enough for his unit to squeeze through! However, he could see that Asuka only surpassed half of the layers, as he could see portions of AT Field still in front of her!

Heero thought to himself that this next action would be a calculated risk. While Misato's calculations of the propulsions being enough to penetrate the remainder AT Field were probably correct, he would also collide with Unit 02 in the process! Asuka could be killed at any moment if she kept this up. It was time to make a decision.

First, Heero withdrew the twin buster rifle behind the unit. He shut his eyes and immediately thrust the triggers forward at full throttle! Custom Unit 00's wings spread out wide! Without hesitation, the unit darted upward towards Unit 02! Heero was overwhelmed by the intensity of this dash, and couldn't even feel where he was going!

However, the shock ended in an instant! It hadn't even been seconds when he already realized that he had been on the other side of the AT Field. Heero had turned around and noticed the hole had completely closed. He then noticed floating to his side: Eva Unit 02!

"Asuka?" Heero asked. He got no response. Asuka was completely rendered unconscious, or possibly worse… He slammed his fist against the cockpit chairs, in pity of himself for making this action. She was put in a no-win situation, he knew, but now he worried greatly about her condition.

Flying over the Unit 02, Custom Unit 00 had carried it in its arms. Heero looked to his side and immediately headed towards that direction – towards the fortress. Landing on the surface of the fortress, he gently laid the motionless Unit 02 on top of it. Custom Unit 02 then impaled its hands into the surface beside where it lay! Pulling the two parts of the plating aside, there was now an enormous hole within the armor of the fortress.

Heero first allowed Unit 02 to enter by sliding it through the hole, first. It landed onto the floors, which were luckily not far up. Custom Unit 00 followed, but instead set foot on the floors.

"Come in, Nerv Command," Heero said out loud through the internal communicator with Nerv Headquarters. He had hoped to inform them that he couldn't destroy this just yet, but instead to study it. However, he received no response in return. There was something interrupting the frequency between his unit and the Command Center, he knew. He blinked. _We're on our own, now._

Heero conducted the control panel of the cockpit and found he could temporarily eject the entry plug. After experimenting, he felt movement within the entry plug already. The entry plug ejected slowly out of the unit, as well as the LCL draining out as well.

* * *

><p>"Wait, what do you mean we've lost contact with them! We have to try something!" Misato said to the entire Command Center.<p>

The screen had gone static back at Nerv Headquarters! Now, they had switched to the ground view that was zoomed in on the action. They had witnessed the two units' success in getting through the AT Field. However, there was no response from the units. There was not even a report on the pilots' or Eva Units' current condition.

"Heero? Asuka? Come in!" Misato called out to the Evangelions.

"We've lost contact with them! The moment they successfully pierced through the AT Field!" Shigeru, turning around from his console, had informed her.

"What could be the problem, however?" Kozo asked.

"This AT Field could hold some kind of property which disallows any kind of telecommunications from going through it. Except no AT Field was ever witnessed to have that kind of capability," Maya had explained.

"What concerns me most is…" Kozo told Misato while jerking his head towards the screen, "Why is it still in one piece? It's been five minutes since they've gotten in. Heero's rifle would destroy it in an instant with that kind of firepower. But…They haven't destroyed it yet as we planned."

Misato looked and noticed the truth in what the Commander had been saying. Not only could she not see the two units, but the object was still floating in midair without any damage done onto it.

"It's still moving closer to us as we speak. The moment it's at point blank above the city, who knows what it will do?" Maya declared.

"It's in God's hands now. Whatever happens…" Misato said.

* * *

><p>Heero had now set foot on the ground. He recognized this room to be an entire weapons storage, noticing the several different assault weapons aligned across the walls. Looking behind, the ejected entry plug still attached to his Eva Unit, he ensured that both units would be safe while he was away. He also hoped that Asuka's condition was good, aside from her lack of consciousness. He would have to check for her later, however. There was a task – an all-new task – to be done now.<p>

"Don't do anything stupid, Asuka," He whispered while glancing over to the inanimate Unit 02.

Looking ahead, there were a few guns scattered across the ground. Something must've been here, possibly a whole army that once stood here. He remembered Libra being destroyed, and this was a complete replica of that. How was that there are remnants of the war, however?

Picking up a lone pistol from the ground and loading it with some ammunition on the wall, he looked ahead and noticed the way was made clear to him. He knew much of this place by the back of his hand**[6]**, and he could search the place until he found what he wanted. And so, he could already see the path made clear – a door leading into the labyrinth of the enormous battleship. He started through the door at a first sight, and immediately raced around the hallways. Holding the gun tight by his side, he prepared for any random encounter with whatever.

Every corner of this place seemed entirely familiar. He recognized various aspects and features of the original Libra quarters, and much more. That was all that came back to him, for he did not remember exactly the mayhem that occurred before in a place like this.

There was a mysterious mood wafting around this place, however. What could it be? He thought this to himself as he paused in his tracks and looked around. He knew what it was already – this place was completely empty. Aside from the small armory that he entered this place in, there were absolutely no signs of human life nor working technology.

Suddenly, a mysterious breeze hit him. His eyes widened – he was inside of a highly secured ship, how would the breeze even get to him? He felt that exact same feel when he had first come here to this world, which led him on such a path. Here it was again, but in an even more unusual fashion.

He now held his gun closer to the side of his head and followed the direction the breeze blew. He aimlessly followed the breeze's path, willing to open fire on any surprise that hit him. Even in a large, empty military headquarters, he would still keep his guard up.

Heero suddenly felt his feet frozen. The breeze had stopped blowing. Up ahead of him were two large double doors. This must have been the heart of the ship – the portion that brings life to the ship. Somehow, the gust had led him here. Relaxing with his gun held to his side, he awaited for what's to come.

His patience was awarded within moments! The two doors began to open, with behind it a blinding light! Covering his eyes, he waited for the doors to come to a complete open. When finally he heard the doors come to a stop, he had uncovered his eyes. He couldn't believe what he saw – an open field with beautiful, green grass and the sun shining bright from above! _How had this been possible_? He thought. Was this possibly an illusion? He had to observe more deeply to understand this phenomenon.

He took his first steps inside. The grass was just like ordinary grass, he thought. Heero then checked upward at the clear, blue skies. There was nothing wrong with it at all, either. He could even feel the rays of the sun gleaming down upon his skin. It was most definitely real to him, but how was this even remotely possible?

Finally, something even more distinguishable caught his attention. He looked forward and noticed a figure standing – a man. This man was holding a golden bow with a silver-trimmed leather quiver on his side. Taking shots at a target in front of him, he appeared to be hitting the bull's-eye numerously with ease. Heero couldn't identify this person from afar. He began to move closer to see him, gripping his gun tight against his waist. It was at that very moment when the man had stopped shooting, and finally turned his attention towards Heero.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Asuka's synch ratio with Eva Unit 02 is noted to be significantly lower in the latter quarter of the series, particularly in The End of Evangelion where she really couldn't pilot it at all until a particular miracle occurred.

**[2] **Deathscythe and Deathscythe Hell both hold a cloaking device which promotes stealth. Specifically known as the Hyper Jammer ECM Suite, it's specifically made for jamming electronics of enemy mobile suits. Wasn't entirely sure about its functions, as this particular capability of the Gundam fluctuated a lot throughout the show, so this specific instance of going invisible I used is very likely an exaggeration.

**[3] **One of Heero's most famous quotes used throughout the show.

**[4] **In episode 08 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Misato brings Shinji and his friends to a UN naval fleet holding Eva Unit 02. This is also Asuka Langley Soryu's first appearance in the show. They aboard a helicopter on the journey there.

**[5] **Libra is a gigantic battleship created by OZ and serves as the primary headquarters of the terrorist group, White Fang. Spanning 1500 meters in height and over 3500 meters in length, this ship served as a mighty fortress against the opposing forces. Armed with many defense weapons and holding hundreds of mobile suits, the ultimate mechanism of this battleship is the powerful beam cannon in the center. It also holds a control room that serves as the heart of operation for mobile dolls. After a long, fought battle with the Gundam pilots, the remains of the ship were destroyed by Heero and Wing Zero.

**[6]** In the latter episodes of Gundam Wing, during the wars with White Fang, Heero and the other pilots infiltrate the inner premises of Libra for some time. The pilots accomplish a lot while intruding the base.

* * *

><p><strong>Answers for the Reviewers :D<strong>

_Response to Death (Guest Reviewer):_

Not sure if I made it clear n the earlier chapters, but Heero in particular forgets most of what happened in his universe before these events occurred. Duo at the moment is merely trying to make a positive approach. While Heero would do otherwise, there's reasoning behind why he doesn't know himself at the moment.

_Response to a Guest Reviewer of Chapter 15:_

You should be aware that the Evangelions' technology is completely different from the Gundams' and that it wouldn't be that easy just to try them out. You'd also need to clarify what you mean by "the schematics from Heero's memory", because unless he explained the schematics in great detail, there's no other way they can learn about the Gundams. Your question is a little vague, and I can't understand really what you're saying. and I'd hope you clarify it a little if you choose to review again.


	17. Chapter 17

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Sorry for not updating in a while, everyone. I've been really upset with some things lately that I lost inspiration to continue writing. Thus, this chapter in particular I tried to make as best as I could, but the writer's block was just too awful. Nonetheless, I'm still pleased with the final result. Hopefully it is something soothing to your eyes (as my former beta reader and now bitter enemy thought otherwise).**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

And here, Heero was – closing in on this mysterious figure. Walking on the greenest and brightest of grass, it was the most unlikely place to find such an adversary. But here he was. He could not yet identify the man before him, other than he was still quite far away and the bright sun from above was blinding him from seeing his face.

_What do you seem so tense, about? Have you not figured out who I am?_

It was the voice that suddenly rang through his head. But of course, he thought, the answer was obvious all along. He couldn't believe how he could forget the time of massive bloodshed and warfare that occurred aboard and about this one fortress. There were two important sides of the war – one was the rebel White Fang under Milliardo Peacecraft, and the other side was none other than OZ.

"Treize Khushrenada**[1]**," Heero whispered to himself, "Like there was any other potential person."

The man then placed his bow to the side and held it with its bottom tip on the ground. Heero could finally recognize his face, and realized he was right completely. Noticing Treize still wearing his noble military uniform – exactly like that from After Colony 195 – nothing much has changed of his physical appearance at all. However, what remained mysterious to Heero was that he was wielding a bow, rather than a gun.

"What brings you to my haven, Heero Yuy?" Treize asked.

"I'm here to end you," Heero said, holding his arms out and pointing the gun towards Treize. Treize remained calm and simply raised an eyebrow.

"End me?" Treize asked, "You cannot simply end me right here and now."

"You came for the same reasons as Zechs. I already know it. Don't even dare to toy with me," Heero said, shooting a more glaring look at him now.

Treize slowly let go of the bow on his side, allowing it to freely fall against the ground. He then took both of his hands and held them above his head, signaling a potential forfeit by him. Heero, however, remained calm, and would prepare to fire at will. Listening closely to his surroundings, the realm still seemed to be perfectly harmless. Could there be any kind of trap in this place?

"Well played, then. I surrender," Treize remarked, closing his eyes, "But you are wrong if you presume my intentions so hastily."

Heero was frozen. Someone powerful and noble like Treize wouldn't just give up like this – he and his fellow pilots knew him well enough back in their own world. He knew now that although his physical appearance was unchanged, there was still something about Treize that he just couldn't identify by the naked eye. Continuing to observe him, Heero thought it was best to ask questions.

"Nonsense. What are you here for? How are you alive?" Heero asked with hostility.

"You remember a lot more than I imagined…" Treize whispered, blinking.

"What?" Heero said, pushing his finger slightly against the trigger.

"You should've learned by now from the Angels of this world, there is much more to them than mere appearance," Treize said. Heero raised an eyebrow at this statement. The fact that an AT Field guarded this entire place really foreshadowed his knowledge of what they are. Treize spoke again, "Heero. Demonstrate your nobility of a soldier by lowering your weapon. I mean no harm with you in my presence."

Heero hesitated. Just looking at Treize brought back a few memories of the cruelty of dictatorship back in his world. Now here he was again, pleading him to show a little mercy. Watching the bow next to Treize with his hands still in the air, and now his bow falling to the ground, Heero could finally see that Treize really meant no such conflict. Lowering the gun to his side, he immediately turned on the safety and dropped it to the ground.

"Come now," Treize said, turning around and beckoning Heero to follow his direction. As he began to walk, Heero followed steadily. He tried to listen very carefully for any possible traps that this brilliant tactician would lay down for him. It was all too mysterious for a realm as peaceful as this.

Finally, Treize stops at what appears to be a traditional tea table with two seats. Taking a seat on one side, he held out his hand in welcome for Heero to take the other seat. Heero refused, though, and simply stood behind the chair.

"Not wanting to be very civilized, I see?" Treize asked.

Heero went silent for a few seconds then uttered, "I'm fine."

Treize prepared himself a small cup for himself, pouring some hot tea into it a moment later. Appearing to be completely relaxed, he took a small sip. Heero only stared at how gentle he was being right now. There was still a mission at hand, so he kept his guard up for just about anything.

"What do you take me for?" Heero asked bitterly.

"What _do I _take you for?" Treize replied, still relaxed as he set the cup back on the table.

"I will not play any more games with you. You're clearly up to something for me, or something for this world. You've come after me, but what for?"

"Heero…" Treize finally shot a look at Heero, "How much do you remember of your home? Our world?"

Heero went frozen again. While Treize attempted to avoid his question, Treize's own question immediately threw Heero into a state of deep thought. Heero could remember Trowa for some reason, but that was all. There was far more than that to remember, he just felt it. To why he couldn't remember was just crushing his spirit with every passing second. He couldn't put it into words, nor expressing it on his face.

"Do you remember how I died? You know it happened, but who was the one that took my life?" Treize asked, continuing with his daring glare.

At first it was clouded. No image appeared before him. However, the fact that Treize died provided much about the past.

Yes, it was finally coming back to him – but only slowly and weakly. He could see a Gundam before him – with a green torso and two dragon-shaped armaments on both arms – wielding a double-bladed beam trident**[2]**. It next burst two flames out of its dragonhead-shaped hands and ignited several mobile suits in front of it with blazing fire. The pilot inside was finally becoming visible – a boy about his age and size with a short, black ponytail. Alas, he witnessed a space colony in front of him, immediately exploding with great tremor shaking him even in his mental haven!

"Wufei**[3]**…" Heero murmured.

"Except it wasn't just him…" Treize said, "It was I."

"What?" Heero said, "You have to tell me, Treize. I don't know why my memory is fading so rapidly."

"And it will only keep doing so as long as you remain in this world," Treize remarked.

Heero clenched his fists and shot a glare towards Treize, "You are my target, Treize. I should've killed you the moment I set foot here."

"But no, you misunderstand my motives. I surrendered not because you were armed, but because I didn't mean to kill you…At all," Treize explained, "You've already seen the first signs of wars, and even witnessed it just a few weeks ago. I'm only your ally, not your foe."

"Then what is it you're _hiding_ from me?" Heero asked aggressively.

Treize paused and crossed his arms while leaning back into the chair, "What you are looking at now is an illusion, and everything you see right now belongs to that illusion. This moving machine you stand in right now – it was built for the purpose of bait," Treize said, holding his hand outward of this entire sanctuary, "A mind game established by a powerful Angel."

Heero's eyes widened and his fists relaxed, "An Angel? You're not…?"

"No," Treize interrupted, "I serve mainly as the avatar of such a beast. Tell me, whom back in your world would represent the ideal of tyranny any more? Only the one who wished to bring rule upon the colonies with an iron fist – a _Monger of Conquest_, I would put it."

Heero went confused. Treize was following an Angel, or was he? Also, Treize would indeed fall under the category that he described, but why would he even admit to it?

"Except…" Heero paused, "I can tell you've changed. You weren't like this before, were you? It couldn't just be you who wanted to conquer?"

"Some things you do in the past just cling to you for a lifetime, leaving a legacy of infamy," Treize remarked, "Part of the reason is the life I've created, my own daughter, would have relived the legacy I started. A painful price, overall."

"A daughter?" Heero asked, confusingly.

"Mariemaia Khushrenada**[4]** was her name. Had the events from our world not come to past, she would have led an all-new conquest under my name. Thus is why I was chosen as this…'ambassador', I should put it."

He had absolutely no idea what Treize was trying to say. Although his remembrance of Treize and his ruthless actions was vague, he could grasp a little bit of the past – which pleased him a little. However, a daughter? A legacy? This may just be the roots of what's bigger to come.

"I don't understand," Heero said.

"There are gods out there, Heero. You just don't believe in them, but there are. For centuries, spanning across billions of worlds, they have worked in the most miraculous of ways – some of which are so strange that even a normal human couldn't describe. However, for this world you occupy now, the gods deliver their messages through the Angels." Treize explained.

Heero went silent and processed what Treize was saying right now. It was almost what Milliardo had been telling him, only now Treize was asserting the existence of gods.

"The messenger has been brought to your world, Heero. As the result of all our failures through warfare and corruption, the ones far above us have brought down punishment upon our world with a mallet of apocalypse. There are numerous purposes for every divine power, but for ours, it was to put an end to our sins for good. Thus is why the world we lived in is no more."

"Then why am I here, Treize?" Heero asked and looked at him with more curiosity, "How did Duo and I come to this world? Why have a lot of my memories left me upon arriving here?"

Treize didn't answer. He was completely silent, now tilting his head downward in dismay. Uncrossing his arms he stood up and took a deep breath.

"I don't have an answer to that, Heero Yuy," Treize responded, "I only came to warn you that…" Treize then made a brief pause. Heero could tell in Treize's eyes the fear that was building up within him – even as supposedly an Angel. Treize spoke, "You cannot cheat fate. No individual can. I don't remember even my own motives before my death. But I did choose to, and my shadow still aroused in the hearts of many soldiers, including your friend, Wufei."

"So what are you saying…?" Heero took the seat across from him, staring at Treize intensively for the answer.

Treize slowly reached out his hand and placed it atop of Heero's, "The fate of your world has followed you all the way here. The world you now inhabit will see to its demise – blood of _billions_ will wash the lands, oceans _will boil_, and the _cries of all living things_ will be heard throughout the universe," Treize solemnly explained.

Heero, enraged, dashed back over to his gun and swiped it off the ground! Turning off the safety, he aimed it towards Treize. While controlling his temper, he said under his breath, "Then I'll be done with you before that happens."

"What good will killing me do?" Treize said after a brief pause.

"I've heard your warning. Don't even remind me of a world at its doom. I know it already, and I can assure you that this damn fate you speak of won't happen to this world.

"Do you not even know what direction everyone of this new planet is headed? The path has already been paved, but just your presence alone is what's reshaping it." Treize asserted with a raised voice.

Heero paused again, lowering his gun slightly, "What?"

"You know about it more than I do. You've lived here for some time, haven't you?"

Heero took a moment to think about it, but it hit him instantly. Right out of the books, and even from Milliardo's voice, he recited it in silence, "_Third Impact_."

"Precisely. All that is occurring right now wasn't meant to happen. Like a paradox in time, you're practically altering the timelines of both of our worlds. Who knows whom or what has caused this, but its only a supernatural phenomenon I can't simply explain," Treize incited.

Heero looked down, "There has to be some hope somewhere for these people…" Heero looked back to Treize, "You must help me."

"Heero…" Treize said, "You must remember that I have already fallen, and I am tied to the will of the Angel. I am only a messenger, and I've invited you here to serve only my final purpose. Nothing I can do right now will aid you any further."

Heero paused once more, regarding Treize's statement with sincerity. Treize spoke the truth, and in his eyes Heero could see complete honesty, as well as sorrow. He could even see the strong pain of regret from war and the countless number of deaths he caused through his actions alone.

But then, he saw another image! His mobile suit – the Tallgeese II**[5]** – charging right towards the Gundam's Twin Beam Trident, penetrating itself through the heated blades of the weapon! He could then see Treize closing his eyes, right before his final moments. On the other side, there was Wufei, crying out loud Treize's name as a result of his ultimate decision! The image was made perfectly clear. It was yet another forgotten memory now revived.

"I should've told you and your friends a long time ago, but you all do hold a heart of valor. I admired every one of you Gundam pilots throughout the times of war and how you fought for the people you loved. However, there are ends which mark the inevitable, where you will fail and all hope comes to an end."

Heero was once again thrown into a state of despair upon Treize's statement. He could fire his gun at any moment now, ending the torment of his words. However, there was truth behind what he was saying. If his world had come to an end through what Treize said, there was possibility that everything in this world would end the same way. A hint, he had hoped for, one that could aid him in avoiding the destruction of this world.

"Is there a way that I can alter this fate, Treize?" Heero said, "Something that I and all of humanity may do to avoid this end?"

Treize took his right hand and placed it over his heart. Closing his eyes and tilting his head down once more, "Heero…"

Suddenly, a small earthquake shook the sanctuary! Heero nearly lost balance, but continually looked at Treize who was still standing there solemnly. Then, the sun went dim and then completely shut off! There was a loud cracking noise coming from above him! Looking upward, he could suddenly see an enormous rift in the sky! Observing it more closely, he could see Eva Unit 02, forcing the rift more wide open!

"Heero, you IDIOT!" Asuka's loud voice was heard through the Eva Unit, "Why the hell haven't you destroyed this place, yet?!"

Looking forward again, he then noticed the ground began to crumble as well. The grass died within an instant! Eventually, there were several fissures decaying the ground of the sanctuary. As the ground was slowly being destroyed, magma arose from the crevices! A sudden tremor then knocked him onto his feet! As he caught himself with the palms of his hands, he suddenly noticed something liquidly covering his hands – something red. He knew at an instant that this was fresh blood covering his hands. He then found himself looking into a fault within the ground, but noticed something under the thick magma. Black, charred, but visible, he immediately realized the shape of these objects: skulls.

Getting back up on his feet, he turned around one more time and still noticed Treize standing there. He was still standing like a noble soldier with his hand over his heart.

"Treize, WAIT!" Heero shouted out holding his hand out to him.

At that moment, the large, extended arm and hand of Eva Unit 02 was reaching down to him from above. Its hand was wide open, indicating that he must climb on.

"GET IN HERE!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs.

Still hesitating, he glanced back towards Treize a final time. _This was an illusion of what is to come by the fate that I brought upon here_, Heero thought. He couldn't dare look around anymore, as the waves of fire now scorched the sanctuary into a fiery pit of hell.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST CLIMB ON!" Asuka roared.

Heero leaped onto the palm of the Eva Unit. Without warning, the unit closed its hand and pulled him upward. Trying to compress his body to fit to the small space he was in, he could also hear the cries of terror beginning to silence themselves.

Finally, Asuka released him from her grip. Heero could see in front of him his Eva Unit, with its entry plug wide open. Leaving the hand of Unit 02, he leaped high onto the entry plug, immediately slipping into the cockpit of the unit. Upon his arrival, the entry plug injected, and LCL flooded the entire cockpit.

"This is pitiful…" Asuka murmured. Heero raised an eyebrow. Noticing him, she continued, "Why haven't you destroyed this place already?"

"That's none of your concern," Heero replied.

"None of MY CONCERN?!" Asuka shouted, "Lets just get outta here and blow up this Angel!"

"Except it's not an Angel…" Heero said.

"Tell your little fairy tales to Misato later. CAN WE JUST GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE?!" Asuka said as suddenly the fortress suddenly shook violently!

Looking upward at the hole Heero made to get in, it was wider now to allow both of them to leave. Custom Eva Unit 00 took flight, with Unit 02 following shortly after. Heero, now turning around, noticed that the Libra replica was free falling slowly! In just a few seconds, it would collide with the Earth's surface!

"Alright. DESTROY IT NOW!" Asuka implored.

Heero locked his sights onto the falling battleship, now aiming both sides of the units Twin Buster Rifle towards the object! At any second now, there could be a great collision onto the Earth that could eliminate humanity even before the real terror comes in. Without perfectly locking the crosshairs onto the ship, Heero slammed his fingers against the triggers! An enormous blast of incredible heat and power now bulleted towards the falling fortress! The immensity of the knockback upon firing the weapon propelled Custom Unit 00 backwards, crashing into Unit 02! Heero temporarily lost his sight from the great shaking within the cockpit.

Alas, Heero opened his eyes slowly and noticed the blast had been a direct hit! It impaled through the mainframe of the ship, immediately causing it to implode from the inside! The debris seemed to be minimal, as the devastating power of the blast seemed to have disintegrated the bulk of the ship's mass. A few harmless fragments of Libra now fell to the ground, leaving minor traces of damage.

As he turned around to find Unit 02 floating in midair, Heero was relieved to detect the Unit's life support still on, indicating Asuka was safe. He sighed in relief, and whispered to himself:

"Mission…" He paused, suddenly remembering Treize's warning with the terrifying image he saw back inside the ship. He finished and murmured, "Updated."

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Treize Khushrenada is the prime antagonist from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. According to the Gundam Wiki, he is classified as a "calm, calculating man, Treize is a complex individual, playing both the chivalrous, anachronistic knight and the ruthless tyrant". He is the Chief Commander of the Organization of the Zodiac as well as the Romefeller Foundation. His personality and motives throughout the show are difficult to decipher, as he undergoes drastic changes in his character through love, loss, and compassion. Treize's most crowning moment was when he met his end in a final confrontation with Wufei Chang, the Gundam Pilot, where he deliberately allowed Wufei to kill him. His goal by doing this is unknown. He is the archenemy of the Gundam pilots, but shares his biggest feud with Wufei.

**[2] **Altron Gundam (XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam) is the main mobile suit of Gundam pilot Chang Wufei. Originally the Gundam Shenlong (XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam), this mobile suit was rebuilt from the ruined mainframe by the Gundam scientists with various upgrades. Like its predecessor, Wufei refers to this mobile suit as "Nataku". Altron Gundam is classified for its two powerful Dragon Fangs (extendible claws) on both hands, flamethrowers attached to both claws for incendiary firepower, but most notably its Twin Beam Trident – all capable of destroying multiple enemy mobile suits.

**[3] **Chang Wufei is one of the central characters and Gundam Pilots from Gundam Wing. He pilots both the Shenlong and Altron Gundams throughout the show. He is the character that possibly undergoes the most internal conflict throughout the show. Coming from a clan of noble Chinese warriors, the destruction of his colony helped molded him into an eventual blood-thirsty soldier of war. He is also known to be very hot-headed, but remains calmer in the earlier parts of the show. Wufei overall finds great difficulty in finding his path. His physical appearance is a boy with a short, black ponytail. He is also seen wearing a blue, sleeveless shirt and white sweatpants

**[4] **Mariemaia Khushrenada (Mariemaia Barton-Khushrenada) is the young, ruthless daughter of Treize Khushrenada (and Leia Barton) and the main antagonist of the movie, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. She hopes to relive the legacy of her father under the image of her grandfather, Dekim Barton. For a young and naïve girl her age, she is easily brainwashed by Dekim's ideals of world order and tyranny. She is practically unknown until after the events of Gundam Wing.

**[5] **Tallgeese II (OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II) is the main unit piloted by Treize Khushrenada and the successor to the original Tallgeese unit. Almost identical to the original unit, it still holds a mildly upgraded dober gun, beam saber, and overall mainframe. It also serves as the head unit of the entirety of OZ during the final battle of the Eve Wars with White Fang. It was ultimately destroyed in the duel between Treize and Wufei, annihilating both the unit and its pilot.

* * *

><p><strong>Answers for the Reviewers :D<strong>

_Response to Death (Guest reviewer):_

That comment made my night! xD Also, sorry for not updating in a while. I've been under writer's block lately, and the fact that a load of stressful burdens just dropped on my recently, I just couldn't keep up.

_Response to Guest Reviewer of Chapter 16:_

I didn't approve your comment because... I can't just simply explain the entire differences between Gundams and Evangelions. I would have to write an enormous essay, longer than any of my chapters, to go in full-depth. I mean no offense, but it is your responsibility to have knowledge on both shows. My footnotes only offer so much incite on both breeds of robot, so you'll have to do the research on your own, or watch Evangelion for yourself. Thank you.


	18. Chapter 18

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Was excited about this chapter. Enjoy! ^-^**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

A punch flew across Heero's face! Barely causing him to flinch, he stood there and simply stared towards her nonchalantly.

"I don't mean one… BUT THREE?!" Asuka bellowed, "That's THREE times that the both of us could've been killed!"

"Chill out, Asuka!" Duo said, trying to calm her down while in this enormous hangar, where her voice echoed out in every direction.

"Shut up, Duo! You have no idea what happened up there!" Asuka yelled, still glaring towards Heero.

Duo did a lowering motion with both his hands, "Why don't you start from the beginning?" He watched as she unwillingly took a deep breath, and he continued, "How did he _almost_ get you two killed?"

"Well…" Asuka grumbled, now straightening her posture while still keeping a hostile look towards Heero, "Let's see… One, he crashed into me while we were trying to penetrate the AT Field. Two, he failed to even destroy the thing the moment we bypass it. And three, because of his stupid mistake, he could've gotten everyone in the whole world killed, including the both of us, by just taking an all-or-nothing shot towards that thing!"

Duo sighed, "He was lucky enough that he hit it… That's all that mattered."

"LUCKY?!" Asuka pounded her fist against Heero's chest, sharpening her glare as she put her face in front of his, "If you even THINK of making another stubborn move, I'll stop you before you even fail all of humanity!"

Asuka gave him a slight shove with the tips of her fingers. Turning around with her arms crossed bitterly, she grumbled to herself. However, she failed to even notice Rei was standing right in front of her, too, staring right towards Asuka's face. Asuka shot her a look of disgust, immediately displeased that she would probably say something against her.

"Perhaps he had some reasoning to his decision? Have you not thought of that?" Rei murmured.

Asuka smirked, "Don't even get me started, Wonder Girl…" She turned away and started to walk, but not before jerking her head towards Heero, "Stand up for that bonehead again and watch him as he lets all of us down."

The moment Asuka left their presence, Rei shortly followed after in the opposite direction. Duo was silent on the matter as a whole, but it wasn't until he noticed Heero hadn't said a single word since the moment he left his entry plug.

"You're not just gonna take all of that, are you?" Duo asked. Heero raised an eyebrow. Duo turned his full attention to him, "What Asuka said, was all of it true?"

"Duo…" Heero whispered, "It was worth the risk. Believe me."

Without even pointing his eyes to his friend, Heero made his way out of the hangar, leaving Duo behind in the one spot. Suddenly, he heard some fast footsteps coming from behind him! Turning around, it was just Misato, dashing her way towards the exit where Heero was headed.

"Heero, wait up!" She yelled while zipping past Duo.

He noticed Heero completely ignored her, and head out of the room without giving a second thought. Duo then looked to his upper right, noticing the enormous Custom Eva Unit 00 standing tall. Its malevolent stare now had its eyes locked down onto Duo. Ahead of him was Eva Unit 01, whom was also giving him the same treatment. He shivered out of nowhere! The only other persons around here were Ritsuko and her technician gang. There may have just been something else, or the bad mood of the moment was just making him chilly.

He stretched out his arms, "Even a strawberry sundae wouldn't make a guy happy today…" He proceeded towards the exit with his hands behind his head.

* * *

><p>Surrounded by elite Nerv personnel and monitors, Heero found himself standing right before a large holographic map of what appeared to be Tokyo-3. Right ahead of him on the other side of the table were none other than the two big brains of Nerv operations – Major Katsuragi and Commander Fuyutsuki. Behind him were the two other Eva pilots for whatever mission to come next – Rei and Asuka.<p>

"What exactly was it you saw, Heero?" Misato asked.

Heero blinked, thinking that it would be best to keep it a secret, "Nothing important."

"BULLSHIT!" Asuka roared, "Did your stupidity get to your head that you forget how long you were in there? Eight hours, you moron! There's no way you were just fooling around in there!"

Heero gasped inside. _Eight hours_? The thought echoed. He was inside of Treize's sanctuary for what only felt to be eight minutes.

"Asuka's right…" Kozo said, ignoring Asuka's overly harsh attitude, "If you happened to be in there for that long a time, that must've meant you had business aboard that Angel."

Heero responded, with slightly more attitude, "All that happened aboard that fortress is my business only."

"Heero…" Misato gently laid her hands on the edge of the projector. In a calm yet assertive voice, she spoke, "This is the fate of the world we're talking about. If you're hiding something crucial from us, it's only fair that we know. Please, for our sakes…" Misato paused, feeling hesitant to speak, "Tell us just a little of what you've seen…" Misato was more sympathetic in this part of her statement.

Heero kept quiet. The entire world seemed rather frozen to him. Nobody moved, nor even breathed. He could only dwell on that horrid sight of the apocalypse more and more. The flow of fresh blood was still felt throughout his forearm, seeping into his skin with the pain of those who suffered being felt by him.

"_Heero_?" Misato's voice sounded like a long, deep syllable. The realm was now being distorted. Growing detached from the world around him, he carried himself more heavily with every passing second. He knew so little to why he was losing himself – almost crossing the bridge between life and death. The immense pain felt by Milliardo's blade was felt on his body once more, almost as if he had just stabbed him now. Simultaneously, there was the feeling of a hand being placed on top of his. The only one to have done that was Treize, which was just hours ago.

"_Why don't you speak up, you idiot_?" Asuka's voice now dragged on for miles. As her hand shoved the back of Heero's neck, it almost felt like she was pushing him off a cliff towards his death. However, rather than a cliff, it was that pit of lava that he gazed upon earlier. Beneath this Earth would flood with the corpses of billions would he fail, he remembered. Only through triumph in this mission would that fate not come to pass.

Alas, he had to tell Misato everything. He didn't want to speak of it because of the immensity of the trauma, but this was a war and sacrifices had to be made. He could still feel the burden still shaking him, decaying him, destroying him. Struggling to even return to the world was still difficult beyond him.

"MAJOR! You have to see this!" A Nerv member suddenly called Misato's attention to a nearby computer! Misato, shifting her attention towards the large screen they were consulting, immediately made her way towards there. Kozo had followed, concerned with what they had to say.

"Report! Put it on screen…Pronto!" Misato said.

"We don't even have to put it on screen… Just look outside!" The technician moved away from the screen to show the skies of Tokyo-3 at sunset. There was nothing too peculiar from her view, aside from the fact it was a nice stargazing moment.

Misato shook her head, "I don't see anything! Private, don't even think of wasting our…"

"Look at the moon!" He interrupted.

Heero finally regained his senses all of a sudden! Noticing that Misato was intensely studying the large computer screen before her, Heero turned his attention towards it, too! Asuka left his side to follow them. However, Heero could already see it…

Over to the moon, he could see that it was shrinking slowly in size! As if the sky were devouring it, the moon appeared to be dissolving slowly but surely! Even more mysterious about this wonder was its spiral-like fashion in the vanishing process.

"What's going on? Do my eyes deceive me?" Kozo said with his eyes widening slowly.

"Whatever's going on out there, I'll bet Heero knows all about it!" Asuka remarked, glancing back towards Heero.

Rei suddenly left his side, moving closer to the monitor where the action was taking place. Eventually, the entire room had their eyes onto the disintegrating moon. Rei, however, turned her head towards Heero. She whispered:

"Please tell us everything."

* * *

><p>The chef arrived with two large bowls of ramen. The smell alone was heavily refreshing, however it was only enough to turn Duo's frown into a straight face. As the chef placed one bowl in front of Duo, he shot the boy a quick smile. He did the same for Shinji, whom was just sitting to the right of Duo.<p>

In a quiet evening in downtown Tokyo-3, Duo decided to take Shinji out for some more quality time. After that catastrophe that happened after the arrival of Heero and Asuka, he felt it was time just to escape those arguing kids. The sunset made the scenery quite enjoyable.

Shinji stared as his food for a few seconds. However, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating before Duo could even look at his food. Duo simply took out his and dipped the sticks into the broth, twirling around noodles gently.

"It's all on me. M'kay, Shinji?" Duo said.

"Yeah… Thank you." Shinji replied.

About a minute passed by, and neither of them said a word to each other. Duo started eating, but _very _slowly and patiently. Shinji almost had his eyes glued onto his food, eating a lot faster than when Duo sees him.

"You really have some kind of an appetite today, don't you buddy?" Duo said with a little excitement.

"Well…" Shinji wiped his mouth with a napkin before continuing, "That flight inside of your Gundam today really made me hungry… Oddly enough."

"Really now?" Duo chuckled for a second then immediately returned to his food, "Just hoping you enjoyed it."

"I-I did…" Shinji said, "Very much, actually."

Duo's eyes widened, "But you looked like you were gonna puke more than half the time!" Duo shrugged, and changed to a quiet tone with his eyes rolling along his lower eyelid, "…And that was until you did maybe after a half-hour through."

"You don't get it, though…" Shinji said, "You can fly around in that robot as much as you please, don't you Duo?"

"Well, sure."

"Yeah, I've never had that kind of a feel before," Shinji murmured, placing his chopsticks next to his almost empty bowl.

"Huh?" Duo looked confused, just staring blankly at his friend.

"I don't really know how to explain, then…"

"I mean, you do have your Evangelion, right? Surely you can have some kind of feel like that, too?" Duo asked.

"But no. The Eva is so much different from your Gundam…"

"In what ways?"

"Well…" Shinji paused, while silently finishing the last noodle in his soup, "Don't you ever feel you could be just like that pigeon over there?" Shinji looked behind, glancing towards a bird pecking at the road. It truly looked innocent, chirping happily along with its small family of pigeons. Duo noticed the bird, and Shinji continued to explain, "I'd rather be him in place of this body I'm in…"

"Whoa now," Duo's eyes widened, "You don't mean that, do you?"

"But I do."

"What does the Gundam have to do with this, though?"

"To fly so freely about the world without constraint – that's something I'd wish I could do."

"But why not do that anytime with your machine, bro?" Duo asked, now consuming his ramen more regularly.

"Because…" Shinji said and stopped, "I'm not bonded with my unit as much as you with yours…I can't."

"But why?"

"Because I'll never be able to fly like that again. Not when there's someplace like Nerv holding me back." Shinji said, dipping his head down slightly.

"Nerv?" Duo straightened his posture, "What do they have to do with all this?"

"One thing's for certain…" Shinji said, "It all has to do with my father…I've never hated him more in my life than now. He forced me into this nonsense…"

"_You_?" Duo jumped, "Hate _your father_?"

Shinji nodded while still staring into the bowl, "I thought you would take that hint from the very beginning…"

Duo stood up and took a few bills and coins out of his pocket. Placing it on the counter, he looked down at his friend in both pity and sympathy. He tapped Shinji's shoulder, telling him to get up.

"Never knew it was really _that bad_, buddy," Duo remarked, starting to walk along the sidewalk.

"You wouldn't understand," Shinji said.

"But I could try…" Duo said, "I can already tell the Eva just has something beyond my knowledge that Deathscythe doesn't have. What ever could it be? Beats me."

"Yeah…" Shinji said, following by his side. Still with his head dipped, he walked limping slightly.

Duo murmured to Shinji, "Deathscythe isn't just something I can fly around in any time… Back when things were still rough, it was a killing machine. I still have nightmares of the people I killed – which some of them didn't really deserve to die. Heck, at this point, I wouldn't wanna hurt another human soul." Duo stopped when suddenly he noticed a small mouse cross his path! Right under his shoe, he simply let the young rodent make way before taking his next step. He watched as it scurried away into the storm drain nearby, and let it be from there. He smiled and spoke, "I even think the God of Death knows when to call it quits."

The sun already came to a complete set by now. The bright lights of the city now came on, fulfilling the area with brilliance. Despite in this bad state, Duo was finally smiling again all of a sudden. He looked over to Shinji, whom was still in despair. As Duo noticed the people returning to happiness in spite of the action that happened earlier in the day, he thought it was time to do so, too. He looked over to Shinji, and tapped his shoulder again.

"Say…Why don't we have a little seat, Shinji?" Duo smiled, heading over to a vacant bench that was just nearby. Taking his seat there, he patted the opposite side of the bench, signaling Shinji to sit there.

"Um…" Shinji paused, "Okay." Shinji gradually walked over and took the seat where Duo reserved for him. Still looking down and disregarding Duo's presence, Duo decided it was time to speak to him more positively now.

"I wanna know a lot more about you, buddy… It won't be everyday we'll get a golden opportunity like this! Eh-heh," Duo chuckled.

Shinji finally looked up, "Alright… I guess."

"You're also free to vent anything, too. Lets just take it from the beginning," Duo stretched his arms out and criss-crossed his legs over the bench, "I'd also wanna know what you think about…" He paused.

"Who?" Shinji asked curiously.

Duo gulped, "Asuka."

* * *

><p>"I TOTALLY KNEW you were hiding something up there! Only an idiot would have the guts to go against orders like that!" Asuka bellowed to Heero from right beside him.<p>

She, Rei, and Heero were now headed back to the hangar to aboard the Eva Units for the second phase of the mission. Heero had told the entire story to everyone, but did not dare to mention Treize. Instead, oddly enough, he referred to him as the "Monger", whom acted as the prime tactician of the Angel's true plot. However, he knew this was all a lie. He felt the urge to hold himself back from telling the story completely truthfully.

"It was only a messenger. The one bringing the grave news of what's to come," Heero said.

"You had that opportunity to kill him," Asuka suddenly cut in front of Heero, standing firmly. As Heero and Rei paused in the middle of the hallway, Asuka acted as a sudden barrier to keep them from going any further. She continued, "Why didn't you just do it?"

"It was the noble thing to do," Heero replied.

"Noble, huh?" Asuka mocked, "Why don't you put aside this little Boy Scout routine and come to your senses that this Angel holds no kind of 'nobility' at all!"

"He _wasn't_ the Angel," Heero asserted more, "And he acted with honor."

"Honor?" Asuka whispered, then came a brief pause, "Can't any less bullshit come out of your mouth?" Heero simply stood in his spot and did not say anything.

Asuka turned around, proceeding through the hallway without looking at the other two, "These Angels, and you can include their followers too, are nothing but monsters who mean to destroy us all! They don't have any compassion or mercy like any of your soldier buddies! Next thing you know, you're just gonna let them go when a billion people will die because of your stupidity!" She ranted about him until she was already far ahead of them in the hallway.

Rei stepped forward, just a little ahead of Heero. Stopping suddenly, she straightened her head and looked ahead, whispering:

"She puts you down for her own selfish desires."

"It's not just that," Heero replied.

"But what?"

"I've felt it, too. Twice," Heero murmured and walked ahead of her. Leaving her behind in the hallway, Heero took both his thumb and pointer finger and pinched his forehead slightly. The feel from earlier was close to striking him again. He only had to contain himself in this possible outbreak of anguish.

* * *

><p>Back at his apartment, Shinji and Duo are now chilling at the small dining table over soda cans. Duo, having been talking to Shinji the past hour or so about a lot of his past experiences, finally feels a hefty amount of empathy for his friend.<p>

"You're not piloting the Eva for that whole reason? And in fact you've rather have Rei in your place?" Duo asked. Shinji nodded in silence.

Duo paused, taking a moment to put himself in Shinji's shoes. However, he couldn't oddly enough. Somehow, he never had a fatherly-like figure, save for Father Maxwell**[1]**. Duo imagined fathers to be supporters and role models for their sons. But to _hate_ someone like that? Duo felt that there was some reason to why Shinji strongly detested Commander Ikari, and his neglecting attitude wasn't the only part. Neither was it alone his deeper admire for Rei in place of him. He felt cautious to ask him, for it was probably a moment in life that Shinji just wanted to forget.

"I gotcha…" Duo said. Suddenly, he remembered the latter part of Shinji's story regarding Asuka. Clearing his throat, his calmly asked, "…And you really feel that strongly about her, don't you?" Duo asked.

"Sure. If you wanna put it that way," Shinji replied.

"I just can't believe you actually kissed her once**[2]**! That's a shocker right there!" Duo exclaimed.

"Don't remind me…_Ever_," Shinji gulped down the last of his soda and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. Duo gulped. He was able to not ask about the possible incident surrounding Shinji's father, but failed to not mention Asuka at all. Duo now decided to make a move to take back what he said.

"Hey man," Duo leaned over a bit atop the table, "I'm sorry. It's just what I tend to do. I only wanna take this time to understand you a bit better."

"I really appreciate it, Duo…" Shinji said, "But I don't think this is really what I need…Or what I want to begin with."

"I do wanna help you throughout what you're going through, though," Duo said, "And I'll do whatever it takes, buddy."

Little did Shinji know that even Duo was feeling some form of pain, as well. Duo had known it all along. Since the moment he arrived in this world, a part of him had been decaying gradually. Could it have been all of this therapy talk he had been giving his new friends? It probably could've been, but he hated to view it that way. He really liked Shinji for whom he was, and also cared deeply about Asuka's well being, too. As he watched Shinji stand up from his seat, he could only see a lifeless doll with a spirit of dust. He hated to see him like this.

"Thanks Duo. B-but you can't…" Shinji was suddenly interrupted when a knock on the door was heard!

The two boys were silent for a few seconds. They looked at one another, then back towards the hallway where the main door was. Duo sighed and gave a brief shrug, standing up from his spot.

"I'll get it…" Duo entered the hallway and proceeded over to the door. Placing his hand on the knob, he turned it ever so slowly and patiently.

"Duo?" It was a familiar voice, a female voice. It was Ritsuko! Duo immediately flung the door wide-open in surprise.

"Oh! Heya Ritsuko!" Duo said in shock, "What brings you here?" Duo was also curious to why Misato had sent her, of all people, to deliver this message.

"I came on behalf of the Major that she may just have a quick assignment for the two of you," Ritsuko explained.

"So Misato wants the _two of us_?" Duo said, first glancing back at Shinji whom was still in the same gloomy mood.

"Well, yeah," She replied, "We were observing what you did in the Gundam all morning. It's probably only the best-fitting assignment for you both.

"The Gundam, huh?" Duo's eyes widened yet again. He turned to Shinji, whom was now giving him a look back.

Perhaps this was another opportunity for Shinji to experience the Gundam now in action for what it's meant to do? _It had to be_! Duo thought. He gave Shinji a little smile in excitement.

* * *

><p>Back in the hangars, the Eva Units are now attached to the catapults. Both Custom Unit 00 and Unit 02 are now fully fledged for another mission, in space. He noted in his head, upon laying eyes on Unit 01, the S2 Engine that Unit 01 held, allowing capability to withstand the upcoming venture into space. As Heero now approaches his entry plug, Misato follows shortly from behind.<p>

"Heero, one more thing," Misato said. Heero halted his footsteps before stepping in. Not turning his attention to her, he just listened. Misato spoke anyway, "You've been into space before, right?"

"Correct."

"Just making sure," Misato said.

"Now just hold on a minute, Misato! How the hell are we gonna survive the vacuum of space?" Asuka abandoned her entry plug and approached Heero and Misato the moment she heard the word "space". Planting her feet on the platform, "The Eva Units never ascended above the atmosphere before!"

"The LCL will provide the life support and oxygen supply needed for these kinds of mission. However, any damage to the unit that high above the Earth will prove even more fatal than on the ground due to the lack of gravity. Just be cautious."

Asuka turned around, "Pfft… If you say so." Before she began walking, "I expect more from you now, Heero."

"Asuka will be taking charge of this mission's operations. Understood?" Misato announced to the three pilots.

"_What_?" Heero implored, "It was I who uncovered the reality behind this. I know more of what's happening than any of you."

"It wasn't my decision," Misato admitted, "Believe me, I would let you take charge. I believe in you…"

"_You were reckless and did not destroy the culprit as we asked_," Commander Ikari's voice was heard over the intercom! Echoing through the entire room, Heero searched his surroundings to find Gendo and Kozo in a large box with a glass window from above – something like what he saw in the regular Eva pens. From up there, the Commanders could see everything, but had their sights locked down onto Heero.

Heero felt frustrated inside. He could already feel Commander Ikari's burning desire to destroy the Angels. Almost like Zechs, it would seem some people would disregard honor in order to achieve what one wants for themselves.

Misato left the boarding platform. Heero saw in her eyes that she was sorry. At this point, he felt she was the only one in the entirety of Nerv who understood him right now. It was mysterious how she had a high level of sympathy for him.

From behind him, Heero noticed Rei walk before him. Headed over to her entry plug on the other side of the hangar, she once again paused in her footsteps, but this time turned her head a little in Heero's direction.

"Good luck…" She whispered and then continued on her way.

Heero did not respond. He loaded into his entry plug, only reciting Rei's words in his head once. The entry plugs now injected within the spinal column of their units. The LCL now flooded the cockpit, and the control panel in front of him activated immediately! He closed his eyes, waiting for the routine of the Eva's activation to conclude.

"Catapults, ready!" Misato said, "Alright, let's do this!" Heero had noticed Misato said this in a more casual manner for some odd reason.

Alas, he felt the unit propel upward at high speeds! Within seconds, the unit was already above the surface! It only took another few seconds to launch them above the clouds of the nighttime sky. He looked to his side, noticing both Eva Units 01 and 02 with their own propulsion packs for air mobility. As they activated within an instant, Asuka and Rei now prepared to exit the atmosphere into space! Therefore, Heero spread the wings of his unit out wide – illuminating the night sky with his shining magnificence – and took flight following the other two units!

They were now away from the Earth completely. Heero could now see it all within the void of space. Particularly, the spot where the moon was supposed to be – it had vanished completely. With Unit 02 taking the lead, Asuka prepared to navigate the others throughout this mission.

"Just stay close by. I don't see anything yet, but we'll be prepared to kill this Angel when we do," Asuka remarked to the others. Heero had noticed Unit 02 had been wielding a weapon – a pallet gun – while Unit 01 held a sniper rifle**[3]**.

_An Angel that swallowed the entire moon_. _There's no way these manmade weapons would do any harm to it_. Heero thought, despite wielding a much more powerful twin buster rifle.

He blinked. In the thick darkness of space, there wasn't much to be seen or even heard.

"YOU GUYS!" Misato's voice shouted within the cockpits of the Eva Units.

"What is it, Misato?" Asuka asked.

"Radars are already picking up something enormous just right in front of you! It's already acting as we speak!" Misato hollered, now from inside Nerv's Command Center.

"Oh, you bet it is!" Aoba's voice was now heard, "The three of you. Just look behind you!"

Asuka gasped. She was the first to turn around. Unit 01 followed, and Rei gave precisely the same reaction! It was Heero's turn to see it, now.

Turning his unit around slowly, he could already feel the anxiety crashing down of him. The moment he laid eyes on it, he was already thrown into devastation! There was a small black hole on the lower half of the Earth, enough to consume the entire planet within minutes! It had begun with South America, where the hole was already begin to diminish pieces of the countries! It would cover the whole world within minutes, had they not acted right away!

"Alright, you two!" Asuka announced, "We're gonna be through with this bastard right away! Just advance with me right n-…"

Suddenly, before she could finish her sentence, a large, tentacle-like object flung out of the darkness and bulleted towards Unit 01, entangling the unit! Rei suddenly shrieked when the tentacle had coiled around the Unit's torso, crushing both the unit and her from the inside!

"REI!" Heero drew his unit's beam saber and immediately ignited the blade! He flew towards Unit 01 and prepared to slice it free!

"We'll rescue you!" Asuka flew towards the tentacle, drawing Unit 02's progressive knife! However, she suddenly stopped when something had caught her unit's ankle! It flung her backwards, away from where the other two were.

Heero came really close to saving Unit 01. However, the sensation suddenly hit him again! He had dropped the beam saber, and pressed both of his hands against his head! The crying of billions of souls was heard once again, screaming endlessly in his head! The excruciating pain of the Angelic sword was more visible than ever, almost like creating a new wound within his body!

"Heero, you IDIOT!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs! About three more tentacles now approached her! She gasped in horror as she could only watch helplessly while the one on her ankle aimlessly flung her around.

Rei, on the other hand, was still in peril! With no free arms to help herself, the one tentacle binding her unit was intensifying its grip! She was now wailing in pain!

_I've come for you, Heero. Give yourself to me, and it will all be over._ There was the voice that rang through Heero's head, while he was still in great agony. He widened his eyes, and could finally see the Angel in front of him. Shrouded in the darkness and with no distinct shape, it appeared to span the width of a multitude of worlds. It was a cosmic horror – the sign of end for all life in the universe.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Father Maxwell is one of Duo's foster parents (as seen in the Gundam Wing manga, Episode Zero), along with Sister Helen. Both the heads of the Maxwell Church, they raised Duo in believing in the existence of God. However, he only learned from his growing up that, through the great number of deaths he's witnessed, he could only come to believe in the God of Death.

**[2] **Asuka asks Shinji to kiss her out of boredom in Episode 15 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, she ends up hating this moment strongly due to the fact he doesn't hold her when he does so, showing no reaction whatsoever. This moment heavily hints a deeper aspect in Asuka and Shinji's relationship, particularly in the aftermath when she gargles her mouth.

**[3] **The sniper rifle is another standard ranged weapon used by the Evangelions. Its most notable use is when Rei and Unit 00 attempt to defeat Armisael, the Sixteenth Angel, by using the weapon, but it's proven to be ineffective.


	19. Chapter 19

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**By far the longest chapter in this story so far. At least it would be had I not decided to split it into two chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

The voice echoed so mightily within him – rattling every inch of his body. He could hear the voice of the monster, but he could not see the entire enemy. Heero was put into peril, along with his two partners. This had become a mission that could destroy him mentally before it would physically.

As his Eva Unit faced forward, the image of the beast became slightly clearer. It looked like an enormous blur at first, but at least it was a slight hint of what was under this mask. He blinked – hence suddenly he heard the voice ring through his head again. To how this creature knew his name was beyond him, but he could at least recognize the voice. A person of long, silvery blonde hair flashed in his head. It was none other than the voice of Zechs. The enemy had probably taken the form of someone vengeful to him, just like the previous Angel.

_How and why was this possible_? Heero thought. The Angel had specifically targeted him, and recognized both the image and personas of Zechs and Treize.

"HEERO, YOU ASSHOLE! HURRY UP WITH SOMETHING!" Asuka screamed with all the power in her voice.

Heero shook his head violently afterwards. Right in front of him, the massive tentacles of the beast entangled Rei! However, he looked behind to find that Asuka was about to be ambushed by several more, and in fact he noticed the beam saber floating idly in space.

He turned his attention forward and shoved his hands in between the tentacle and Unit 01's body, and immediately tried to force them apart! Realizing his own strength, as the pilot was to be involved, he thrust forward with all his might! He could feel the pain rushing through his arms – the immensity of the amount of force he put into this struggle.

He also heard Rei from the other cockpit, struggling with the enemy squeezed around her. She was trying to wiggle herself free from the crushing grip of the tentacle, and it had been made easier with Heero's help. Suddenly, a snap was heard! The tentacle released its grip on Unit 01 and allowed Rei to move freely once more! However, there was no time to catch breath. From the sheath within Unit 01 revealed, and Rei drew the prog knife and turned to face the struggling Unit 02.

"Come now," Rei ordered Heero. Eva Unit 01 flew forward, accelerating into a dash! Heero acknowledged her order immediately, and followed her from behind!

His unit was much faster, however. Spreading its wings for further speed, he first dashed towards the floating beam saber, snatching it with a single swipe of his unit's hand.

They noticed by now the tentacles were, within seconds, ready to crush Asuka and her unit to death! One tentacle latched itself onto the unit's neck – which posed as the most fatal threat. Heero made his way towards that first, holding the beam saber high above his head! With one quick motion downward, the rod of immense heat sliced through the tentacle, incinerating it within an instant!

Unit 01 followed by latching itself onto the other tentacle that wrapped around Unit 02's abdomen. Rei struck it several times with the prog knife – doing scratching damage to it little by little! However, the scar in this tentacle eventually ripped open far enough that she could now rip it apart! Unit 01 now grabbed onto the two opposite sides of the scar, and then – with all of her strength – Rei tore it into two pieces, freeing Asuka! Unit 02 hovered freely about space for a few moments of silence.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked.

"Do I _look_ okay?" Asuka mocked disgustingly, "If it hadn't been for this stubborn loser here to wait a WHOLE FREAKIN' MINUTE to save our butts, I'd totally be much better!"

Rei gasped. She looked at Heero from inside her cockpit. She watched as he had his eyes closed for a moment, as he knew that Asuka was referencing him right now. His facial expression did not change, but somehow Rei could feel that he felt sorrowful and did not deny anything that Asuka said. He did not say a word to either of them.

"Alright, moving on!" Asuka said and turned back forward, "And I still see nothing… I guess whatever's out there is just blanketed in all of that darkness of space."

"That's because it is," Heero remarked.

"Excuse me?" Asuka raised an eyebrow, "What does a moron like you know about what's out there? Do you have night vision or something?"

"I felt it during my sudden seizure."

"_Seizure_?" Asuka spat. "So that's what was keeping you? Nobody has seizures for a minute and then comes back. Sounds like a load of bullshit to me!"

"Can you guys stop arguing for maybe… I don't know. Five minutes?" Misato suddenly shouted to them.

"The two of you are lucky that Heero saved you in the nick of time! God knows the results of damage in space missions, but just be thankful you got out!" Hyuga**[1]** implored.

"Some bad news… We're picking up a lot, as in _A LOT_, of signals headed your direction. Keep your guard up!" Maya hollered to them. Her eyes widened the moment she saw what flooded the screen in front of her!

"_Excellent_. Bring them on," Asuka whispered. She caught the pallet gun that she initially dropped when attacked by the tentacle and faced forward towards the direction it came from. She then realized that there were two companions at her side. "Don't even think of failing at a time like this! Heero, cover my left! Wonder Girl, lock on to anything else that approaches from afar! Got it?"

"Yes," Rei whispered in response. Heero, on the other hand, didn't respond at all. The three were silent for a few seconds.

"Hey, wait a sec… I'm already seeing something incoming!" Asuka blurted out.

"What do you see?" Rei asked.

Heero turned his attention forward. However, his head still ached a little. Scratching his forehead with the tips of his fingers, his hand now came in between him and the view up front – where it was most urgent that he look at right now.

"It's some kind of silvery blob of some sort! There about a hundred of 'em!" Asuka replied. Heero could still not see what was in front of him. His entire view seemed to be blurred as if his eyesight were damaged. He held his hand out in front of him, and was surprised to discover he was seeing double.

"More like a thousand of them," Misato corrected Asuka through the cockpit telecom, "They're scattering all over the world, not only in your location."

"Open fire at will!" Asuka shouted! She screamed loudly as she started to fire gunshots from her weapon! Rei, from her side, locked onto whatever she found incoming from a greater distance and fired her weapon all the same. As for Heero, he still was trapped in this chaotic situation where he could only wait helplessly until he could see again. His head still hurt a fair amount that it distracted him enough from the main battle.

"Alright, I think we've got their attention and they're charging into us now!" Asuka announced.

Heero shut his eyes tightly, hoping that it would rid of the headache. However, a sudden vision of the "silvery blob" Asuka was talking about flashed in his mind. In his own thoughts, he stared at it in confusion. To why this Angel would throw such disfigured grunts towards them left him in even more confusion. This was just too unusual as an enemy for him – enough that he would consider it_ weird_.

"What the? They look like they're… Changing shape or something!" Asuka exclaimed.

Heero's headache vanished all of a sudden! He could see directly and clearly again. He seemed fully-fledged for battle now, although he was afraid it would be too late.

"HEERO! WILL YOU STOP STANDING THERE AND DO SOMETHING YOU IDIOT?!" Asuka bellowed.

Custom Unit 00, still wielding its buster rifle, had a matter of moments to act. What appeared to be a massive swarm of insects incoming was really thousands of these drones.

Hastily reacting, Heero simply raised the twin buster rifle and aimlessly fired a low-input blast! While he realized it destroyed a few of these drones, he failed to hit the incoming main horde.

"YOU CALL THAT A SHOT?!" Asuka yelled at the top of her lungs, "YOU JUST GOT US ALL KILLED!"

A few had already caught up to where the three Eva Units were. One approached Heero from the front, and thus was the first to be attacked! It tackled his Eva Unit, pushing him back several meters! Two more darted into him and clashed into his unit in the same style. Three of these drones were clung to his unit, now!

He realized that they weren't really big, luckily. Heero grabbed one latched onto his leg and the other his waist then immediately threw them to away from him! There was one attached to his shoulder as well. He swiped this one off his shoulder, but this one seemed to be harder. It had its hands tightly clenched around his wrist; therefore he made an attempt to shake it off! However, he suddenly noticed its particular size – which was very familiar to him. Heero momentarily stopped shaking his arm to observe the appearance these silvery blobs took the form of.

He gasped.

* * *

><p>Every member in Nerv Command Center had their eyes glued to the wide screen – which currently displayed Heero's point of view from his Eva Unit. They could all see a distorted yet visible picture of this drone that was currently latched onto the unit's hand. Unable to identify the face of it, they could still recognize its humanoid structure. What made it most distinguishable was its size and somewhat stiff mobility.<p>

"It appears all of our troubles share some kind of resemblance to an object associated with Heero and Duo, no?" Kozo calmly commented.

"This is so unlike anything we've faced. Flying fortresses? Shape-shifting hordes of grunts? Tell me again why we're even calling these things 'Angels'!" Misato demanded.

"Clearly they're not. Close relatives at they're best, but it's after this mission, we'll need to come up with a new codename for whatever these things are."

"Major!" Hyuga shouted out to Misato.

"Report!"

"From contact with Custom Unit 00, we were able to retrieve a biological synopsis of its physical body. It's some kind of gelatinous alloy that's something out of this world!"

"That's not too unusual. Do they compose of any form of Angel DNA?" Misato asked.

"Well, we've certainly never discovered this element in any of the Angels. It's not organic at all."

Misato just heard the little description she really wanted to hear. The fact that this wasn't organic had already disclosed a lot for her. She looked to her side to Kozo, whom was also looking back at her.

"We can confirm now that these are completely different creatures," Kozo stated.

"Absolutely, Commander."

Misato suddenly heard some quiet footsteps from somewhere within the room from behind her. She checked behind her to see who was there, but there was nobody walking there. She then looked above, where Commander Ikari was supposed to be stationed. However, that spot was empty! She shrugged and returned her attention forward.

"The drones have already entered the Earth's atmosphere! They're entering into every corner of the globe!" Maya warned Misato.

This 'Angel' wasn't centered on Tokyo-3, like every other Angel would**[1]**. It was out to destroy the world, instead! Already the motif of this enemy was far more fearsome than any of the Angels, and the fact it launched a full assault on the planet proved its superiority to its predecessors.

"Set up our second line of defense! We will contact the boys NOW!" She ordered.

* * *

><p>Duo looked upward at the night sky, "I'll bet this little adventure Misato just sent us on will be quite the breeze. After all, we'll be stargazing more than half the time!"<p>

Deathscythe was standing on the mountainside, looking over the nighttime skyline of the city. It was quite a beautiful sight, as he hadn't seen a very well established city lay peacefully on soil. He could see the lights illuminate the darkness and tall buildings reach for the sky. That, and the air surrounding them just seemed peaceful. It didn't seem like there was too much to worry about in this mission at all.

Once again, Shinji occupied the small space from the side, also overlooking the same view as Duo. Shinji, only letting off a small sigh, replied to his friend:

"I suppose…" Shinji replied, looking over Duo's shoulder from within Deathscythe's cockpit.

"Y'know, I would have had you pilot Wing Zero…" Duo said.

"I told you, thanks. I'd much rather not," Shinji interrupted.

Duo looked back and smirked, "C'mon buddy! Don't be a party pooper."

"Heero would mind," Shinji said.

"_I wouldn't_," Duo's smirked widened.

"It's really more to it than just that…" Shinji said, tilting his head downward. Duo's smirk disappeared, and he turned forward back towards the main controls.

Duo did recall the ZERO System in his head, let alone that it would be overly complicated for him to adjust to a new robot. They were both silent for a minute, just listening to the soft breeze that same from the outside which made the mood even calmer. Shrugging, he said, "Eh… You do have a poin-…"

"HEY DUO!" Misato suddenly shouted through the speakers of the cockpit, causing them both to jump. "Duo? Do you copy?"

"Mother of God, Misato! Don't do that again!" Duo yelled back. He sighed, calming himself. "What are you doing on this frequency? What's up?"

"What are you two doing just standing there? You're supposed to be on patrol!" Misato declared.

"We can see the city just fine from where we're standing. I'll just charge into the danger whenever it pops out and reap its sorry soul goodbye!" Duo grinned.

"We're gonna secure the city towards the Geofront very soon and arm every turret available around the city, pronto!"

"B-but why?" Shinji asked nervously, shaking a little at the sense of danger.

"The others in space are completely overwhelmed by this Angel! It's sending some kind of machina force to horde the whole planet!"

"_Horde_?" Shinji and Duo said at the same time.

"Just hold your ground for as long as you can! Got it?" Misato ordered and left the frequency.

"Sure," Duo said with confidence. Shinji looked at him in an awkward fashion. Duo noticed his expression, and had to ask, "Something on your mind, bro?"

"How are you not stressed out about what's about to come and get us?" Shinji asked.

"Pfft…" Duo burst out laughing for a second, "I've taken on fleets of enemies in my time, just Deathscythe and me. How bad could this be?"

The boys both watched as the city now descended to the ground. The Eva weapon caches began to rise in its place, as well as the defense armaments of the city. Tokyo-3 had now turned into a fortress in preparation for a full-blown attack from any Angel. The blackness of the night served as the fog that shrouded the battlefield – all the more advantage for Duo's Gundam.

"I guess this is our queue to brace ourselves?" Shinji murmured.

"You're damn right it is…" Duo said. Suddenly, they both could hear shots being fired from the turrets! Missiles shot into the sky, already exploding within moments indicating contact with objects!

"Can you even see what they're hitting?" Shinji asked.

Duo squinted his eyes in order to get a better inspection of what sudden action was occurring up there, but it did no good for him. He thrust forward on the handles, causing Deathscythe to dash forward at great speeds! He drew its beam scissors, sparking the blade from the end and held it tight against his side.

"This'll be fu-…" Duo ate his words when suddenly they both could feel a heavy impact hit them from behind! It shook the cockpit mightily as they felt the Gundam spiraling downwards towards the ground! Shinji held tight to the cockpit chair while Duo planted his hands against the walls!

They had finally crashed into the ground, swinging them both heavily back and forth. Shinji, still hugging the chair tightly, kept his eyes shut from the massive shaking. Duo regained his awareness immediately, however, but suddenly he realized some large object eclipsing most of the front-view! It had been roughly the size of a mobile suit, and in fact had the same structure. However, it was entirely composed of some liquidly silvery alloy, and its head seemed less robotic and held a design of that a terrifying beast! Almost like the fearsome stare of Unit 01, this mobile suit shot a glare towards the Gundam. It then let out a screech so loud that it immediately pierced the eardrums of both boys!

"W-what is that…?!" Shinji cried out.

Deathscythe, still holding its weapon on its left hand, was able to still move its arms. As it only stood atop the body of the Gundam, Duo immediately brought his arms together and held the scythe in both hands. Deathscythe now threw forward the blade end towards the enemy suit, immediately impaling its body and vertically slicing its upper body completely! It had backed off momentarily before falling to the ground.

"It's dead. That's what it is," Duo finally replied. Deathscythe stood up. Duo took this time to observe what he just destroyed. It most certainly did take the form of a mobile suit (with a much scarier design), but why this of all things?

Suddenly the Gundam's radar began beeping! Duo turned his Gundam around and found there were dozens of these things now standing before him, occupying just about every corner of the city now. They closed in around the boys, leaving nowhere to run or hide! As Shinji looked above and noticed that there were even more approaching from the sky, the boys now knew that an intense battle was dawning upon them.

"There's no way we can take them all!" Shinji said.

Duo smirked again, then chuckled a little bit, "Y'know, I don't think so either." Deathscythe held its blade before it and began to spin it rapidly in a circular motion! Almost like a fan, Duo turned around somewhat to assure that no suit would approach him from any direction – because they were literally almost everywhere. Suits were even hovering towards them from the air, all chanting their screech as an attempt to intimidate both boys.

However, more firing shots were suddenly heard! Duo turned to the direction where he heard them, realizing that there were dozens of planes headed their way! They fired several rounds of firepower towards the mobile suits, scattering them! Some were even destroyed by just taking the hits alone. Duo's eyes widened at how effective they were in at least repelling them. There were also tanks approaching from the ground, also shooting fair rounds towards the enemies! With this assistance, Duo had casually swung the scythe behind him and, much to his surprise, destroyed two at once!

"The military**[2]** just came to your assistance, you both! You boys should stand a better chance now!" Aoba announced to Duo through the frequency.

"Well I'll be…" Duo said in relief. He held the scythe firmly again, turning towards the main enemy horde and grinned, "About time I burn you pieces of scraps in the fire of _hell_!"

* * *

><p>Asuka suddenly realized her weapon had run out of ammo. She grumbled then threw it aside. She then noticed from her side that Rei had discarded her gun long before she did, and now held her prog knife against the incoming drones. Asuka decided to draw hers, too – now both Eva Units prepared an assault with hand-to-hand combat.<p>

The girls stuck close together, as it was the most viable option in a raid of hording metallic drones. The prog knives were fortunately capable of slicing through several drones at a time. The girls combined both their combat skills with the Eva Unit and the tremendous capabilities of the prog knife to hold off the numerous enemies!

Heero, unfortunately, wasn't as lucky. The inexperienced Eva Pilot could only fly around in several circles with countless of these grunts trailing him. Whenever he had the chance, he would aim the buster rifle at an incoming swarm and hoped the blast hit something! The only advantage he felt he had here was his unit's superior speed, although it didn't help that they were attacking him from all directions.

He suddenly heard a scream! Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed that Unit 01 had been bitten in the shoulder by a drone! Rei was then flooded by numerous more of these insects, covering almost the entire body of her unit. Asuka was shortly about to follow, as another drone had bitten Unit 02's forearm. The girls were already overwhelmed with their units now being mauled at and scraped by the hands of these insects!

"Heero, their grips are generally weak against the tough outer shell of the Eva Units. You should be able to easily knock them off with high velocity!" Aoba informed him.

High velocity? _They're not even able to move_, Heero thought. He was still soaring through the space, outrunning almost every drone that was chasing him. However, the idea suddenly hit him! His unit was the fastest of every Evangelion out there!

He turned his unit towards them and immediately dashed with full force towards them! He noticed that Unit 02 had a free hand that wasn't cluttered with drones. As he approached her, he held his hand out for Unit 02's. Instantly, he pulled Asuka out of the horde, causing several of them to fall off!

"Back off, stupid bugs!" Asuka shouted as she kicked away a drone that clung to her thigh.

Heero turned around to find Unit 02 in good shape, but Unit 01 was still in danger. They both could hear Rei screaming in great pain through her unit's cockpit!

"Alright, we're gonna pull Rei out now. Follow my lead if you know what's good for you!" Asuka demanded Heero as she charged forward into the horde. He followed her from behind.

As they entered the whirlpool of swarming drones, they noticed a helpless Unit 01 about to be feasted on by drones. Unit 02 arrived at its left side while Custom Unit 00 at its right.

"The same trick should work like what you did with Asuka! Just pull her out from the main concentration and you'll get a handful of them off!" Misato shouted from the Command Center.

"Got it!" Asuka's unit jerked its head towards the Custom Unit across from her, "Altogether now! GO!"

Both their units had its hands latched onto Unit 01. They propelled upward at great speed, carrying Unit 01 with them. Just like before, the drones slipped off Unit 01's skin one after the other! They stopped once they reached a point where the drones couldn't reach them for the moment.

"Are you okay?" Heero whispered to Rei. He noticed she faced him from within the internal cockpit cameras.

"Yes," She replied under her breath.

The three pilots suddenly realized the hordes have regrouped and were gathering in greater numbers, now! Thousands of savage mobile suit-like creatures had their sights locked onto the Eva Units! Immediately afterward, they flocked towards them.

"They all came from that direction!" Asuka shouted as her unit pointed a finger in one direction in space, "Lets make our way over there now!"

Asuka took the lead as she darted towards that direction she pointed. Rei and Heero trailed her, but also noticed that the multitude of drones were also on their tail! Heero, realizing they could approach the Angel faster, grabbed onto Unit 01's wrist. Custom Unit 00 spread out its wings to their fullest, then charged at full speed forward! Before zipping past Unit 02, Heero grabbed the wrist of Asuka's unit, too!

Altogether, the three units flew at speeds faster than they could imagine! They had completely outrun the swarm of drones, about to the point they weren't even a threat anymore.

"You three! Watch out! We've detected a large AT Field in your way!" Maya suddenly announced in horror.

"WHAT?!" Asuka yelled!

Heero suddenly felt a great pain rush through his upper body! A great force halted his trail and knocked him back severely! The momentum he established had been reversed completely, causing him to release the other two units in fatigue! It didn't take long for him to realize that he had just collided with a powerful AT Field.

"Lovely, just lovely…" Asuka whispered.

Heero suddenly noticed from behind Asuka a bright green light! While she glanced backwards as well – right where they collided into the AT Field – she failed to noticed the light, so she simply turned forward to the attention of the drone swarm. Heero blinked, noticing the light faded. This light seemed to have focused on Asuka for a moment, but now it's as if it wasn't even there. It had to be none other than the doing of the Angel, he knew.

* * *

><p>Duo spun the scythe several times in the air, hoping to toy with the seven drones surrounding him! As many of them backed away from the deadly spinning blade, Duo observed closely for the perfect chance to strike. He could tell from behind him that Shinji was at a lost to what exactly he hoped to accomplish by doing this, so it was time to give him a hint.<p>

"Wait for it…" Duo said under his breath. He then realized the drones let out a threatening screech and they all lunged at Deathscythe in a circular formation! Duo grinned, "GO!"

He grabbed the lower edge of the scythe with a firm grip, then swung the weapon around at a perfect 360 degree angle! He shut his eyes, waiting for the moment Deathscythe finished with its motion! Shinji, meanwhile, held tight onto the cockpit chair to retain his posture from the sudden spin of the Gundam!

Alas, the screeches faded! Duo opened his eyes and realized the drones surrounding him laid helpless on the ground with their bodies sliced in half. He couldn't help but laugh hard at his enemies' despair.

"Did this Angel really send us these old rusty toasters to kill us?" Duo cockily grinned, "Because I'm not scared at all!"

"Um…" Shinji said under his breath. Duo heard him, so he stopped laughing in order to observe.

Duo jumped upon the sight in front of him! The two halves of the body began to regenerate into two entirely new drones! The process seemed to flow at a moderate pace, but nonetheless they looked fresh! There were now even more of these mobile monsters taking their place!

Shinji's eyes widened in terror and his teeth chattered! Duo jumped out of the chair with shock, "THE HELL?! T-they weren't able to do that before!"

"I-I thought they were just evil clones of your mobile suit things!" Shinji shouted as they were both shivering from inside of the cockpit.

"They really weren't, which is what concerns us all right now," Misato re-entered the frequency of Deathscythe to tell them, "They don't share any true properties of any normal Angel, which leaves us plenty of questions."

"Angels are pretty smart, right? They should have some kind of adaptive capability of some sort," Duo asked.

"Not to this extent, no… Angels are known to be unpredictable, but having all of these traits that we're first seeing…?" Misato explained, when suddenly the boys heard yelling from the computer technicians through the speaker. "DUO! WATCH YOUR BACK!" Misato suddenly screamed.

Duo turned his Gundam around. Right in front of his face in a split second was the horrendous face of the drone! It had pounced on Deathscythe and knocked the boys onto the ground! It raised its claws above its head, then swung them down across the Gundam's face! The cockpit shook violently upon taking this strike!

"GET OFF OF ME, CHUMP!" Duo shouted as Deathscythe raised its leg and kicked the drone on its backside! He then grabbed its ankle and then, with full force, slammed it to the side! He then arose from the ground as quickly as he could, then held the beam scissors close to his side.

"W-what'll we do now?" Shinji asked.

"We kick our game up a notch, of course," Duo exclaimed.

Shinji gulped, "B-but didn't you see what they just did?"

"Relax, Shinji. I know what I'm doing!" Duo grinned.

"Just try to stay alive, the both of you! The others should hopefully finish off this enemy as soon as possible!" Aoba explained to them.

A drone jumped onto Deathscythe from behind and bound its arms around the torso of the Gundam! Duo reacted quickly to this and grabbed its forearm, then chucked it over his shoulder! He could then see some drones ready to swoop down from the sky and attack. Duo concentrated his Gundam's sight towards this incoming fleet then slammed a button in front of him. The muzzles of Deathscythe's Vulcan Guns in its head now revealed! He fired rounds at a few of the approaching drones, observing as the tiny missiles had penetrated through its skin! It had not defeated them, but it seems to have slowed them down enough that they simply flew past the Gundam and crashed towards the ground.

Duo looked to his side and noticed the Japanese military tanks attacking one drone walking up towards them. Once again, it slowed this one enemy down, but it was not enough this time! It stomped down upon the tanks with its feet of heavy metal, destroying them instantly!

Duo blinked and said under his breath, "Better hurry up, Heero. No clue how much longer we can hold this."

* * *

><p>"We're being overrun in so many corners of the globe now, Major! Hong Kong, London, and Pari-…" Maya affirmed but ate her word when Misato interrupted.<p>

"Our primary focus is getting rid of this goddamn Angel! So you don't think I know that?" Misato replied.

Kozo's eyes slanted towards Misato, in pity from her current attitude on the situation**[3]**. He spoke to her, "Major, the Evangelions are now in space and only an immense AT Field stands in the way between them and the Angel. The unit that Heero's currently piloting may be our…"

"Commander…" Misato interrupted, "Don't you see the full picture yet?"

Kozo's eyes widened. He said in a stern manner, "What am I not seeing?"

"That Heero's the worst pilot of them all! He has disadvantages that we don't even know of, and experience may not even be one of them!" Misato said.

"_Why_ are you disclosing this to me just right now?" Kozo scolded. Before Misato could speak, he continued, "Although I'm aware of the mini catastrophe that happened in his initial test, I still want to have a word with you when this is over and there'll be no exceptions. We're putting our hopes now in Rei, Asuka, and a kid who only has an hour's worth of experience piloting an Eva Unit."

* * *

><p>The drones were close to reaching their point. Although Custom Unit 00's speed proved to be vastly superior to theirs, there was nowhere to neither run nor hide.<p>

"Heero," Asuka said, "We gotta do the same thing. Just don't screw it up this time!"

Heero looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I'm talking about, nimrod? How did we get through the AT Field the first time?" Asuka contended. She turned her head towards the AT Field, then charged into it with sheer anger! Immediately, Rei and Heero noticed as she was pounding against the field! Hitting it in all sorts of ways, Asuka then attempted to scratch it with Unit 02's rather sharp fingertips!

Heero turned back around and notice the drones were very close now! Their wide mouths revealed the sharp teeth, now craving the flesh of appetizing Eva Units! He took aim with the buster rifle and shot a quick yet powerful high-input blast! The recoil was so much that he was flung so far behind him! He watched as the blast pierced through the enemy line, destroying several but more importantly, scattering them temporarily!

"SAVE YOUR FIREPOWER!" Asuka glanced behind then returned to breaking the AT Field, "Somewhere behind this field is the Angel, and inside of that is probably an Angel core that's the size of the planet!" Asuka barked. Rei turned around and head to Asuka's side, assisting her now in the tearing of every layer of this powerful field!

Heero recovered from the recoil. However, noticing a long stream of blood running down his plugsuit, his heart sank. A small flow of blood rushed out of his mouth! Unknown where this came from, all he knew was that the burden of the pain of his Eva Unit attached to him strongly. What was more to his surprise – and why he didn't even ask himself this since the moment he was deployed on this mission – how was his Eva Unit being more cooperating than usual.

"ALRIGHT! I GOT IT!" Asuka screamed. Heero, slowly turning his head, immediately tumbled into shock when he noticed Unit 02 holding open a massive hole by pushing the sides of the AT Field apart with its hands and feet! Its body, completely stretched out, opened a hole large enough for an Eva Unit to get through! Asuka's cry of pain was heard, indicating her desperate struggle to keep a gate open wide. She continued to order the others, "REI, YOU'RE GONNA ASSIST HEERO! GOT THAT?"

"Right!" Rei responded in agreement. Unit 01 now flew next to Custom Unit 00, where it now stay stationed, "I'm ready."

"GOOD!" Asuka said, now exerting all of her strength to hold this rift open, "HEERO, DON'T EVEN DARE TO FAIL US THIS TIME! GO ALREADY!"

Heero had to act fast before a regenerated AT Field would sever Asuka once she gave in! Without any form of warning, he grabbed Unit 01's hand, then darted forward at full speed the moment after! Custom Unit 00 held Unit 01 directly behind it in the form that a straight line would zip through the hole! He held tightly to Rei, so that they both would make it through at precisely the same time! He shut his eyes, stressing hard at the risk that this would fail!

However, before he even knew it, he realized that he had not collided with anything! Still holding tight onto Unit 01, Heero noticed that Asuka was still in her overbearing struggle! Asuka screamed. The both of them had realized that she was now slowly departing from holding this mighty load! The rift in the field she had made now began to shrink!

Heero's sudden and final act was to pull out his beam saber. Realizing that she couldn't take the endless horde of drones on her own, he had to lend her a trump card for this last stand! He threw the beam saber towards the rapidly shrinking breach! From his end, it didn't even look like it would make it. However, by the slimmest of chances, it slipped right through the AT Field before it fully regenerated!

A new stress arose, however. A now limp Unit 02 laid in the emptiness of space! Whether she would obtain the weapon he lent her was the least of his worries now. There was an Angel to be stopped.

"We must get going," Rei warned him.

"Yeah," Heero murmured. He turned his unit around, but was already thrown into devastation to what he saw! _It was the Angel_.

Aghast, the terror had one eye, roughly the size of a small planet – holding a fearsome, malevolent glare that would crush the strongest hearts of man. Blanketing this eye was a searing bed of fire in order to contend its reason to set the world under seas of scorching flames. Its sight of a lustrous green locked onto the young pilot, stimulating every one of his nerves into the deepest abysses of fear. Surrounding its pitch-black body were the tentacles that entangled them earlier. Judging by the incalculable mass of the beast, there was no doubt that the entire world could be devoured by its reach.

This was the horror that Treize had presented to him – a Monger of Conquest. It was also the source of all of Heero's mental torment in the past 24 hours. He could just feel from the beginning how its shadow slowly cast down upon him. It had manipulated him, toyed with him, and now hovered before him at this very moment!

The image of the apocalypse flashed in his mind once again – exactly the one he witnessed aboard the decoy of Libra! The vision became more powerful than it had ever been – even to the extent where it became a complete reality. It would be exactly the fate of the whole Earth if this Angel triumphed! He could also feel the world crumble around him already and every trace of living flesh turn to dust. His skin was to be covered in flames, matching that of the colors of the beast's foul stare.

It was at that precise second that he realized it was succeeding in covering him in its terrible powers! To whether Shinji, Asuka, or even Rei ever felt such contact with an Angel was a mystery to him, but this was his third consecutive time, and by far the worst! His soul felt detached from his body, and within time he would lose every trace of sense he had of this world.

"Heero?!" Rei's voice echoed in the now emptiness he was lost in, "Heero?!" This time she had yelled louder! She was calling him back, as her calm voice served as a beacon of brilliant light in this darkest of nights. He struggled desperately to hold his hand out to her. It could either be his doom or his last strive for hope!

The heat in his heart suddenly burned bright. He could hear the adrenaline pump fast and the pride of a warrior strike him again. He realized once again his determination to save his new home was his own reason for life. Could he be rushing into a death trap by doing this? He did not know, nor did he care. His failure to save his world had already formed a wound of him that was impossible to heal. He would not allow the same to happen again.

"I'll shoot it and be rid of it now! I should have enough firepower to-…" Heero shouted.

"You mustn't! The Angel's far too massive and powerful to destroy him so easily!" Rei argued. Heero then realized the best option was to find the core of this Angel.

"Let's go, then…" Heero murmured.

He had his full attention forward. Spreading out his unit's wings and holding both sides of the buster rifles by his side, he prepared a full-blown charge towards the heart of this Angel. Observing every corner of the monster carefully, he realized a large crater-like opening within its body! About the size of a small city, he witnessed as groups of drones flew out of these passages to make their way to wherever they can lay waste! _This would be the ideal place to enter_, he thought.

"Over there," Heero whispered as he pointed it out with his unit, "Just follow my lead."

"Yes," Rei responded with a quick nod.

Upon her response, Heero charged away! Flocks of drones were already coming in between him and the opening! He maneuvered the best he could through them, but still took minor damage with every collision he tanked! However, even if he crashed a thousand times, it wouldn't slow him down. It was several miles away, but he would reach there within a few minutes due to entering full speed now! From behind him, he could feel the presence of Unit 01 tailing him. Even Rei held a similar will as Heero to defeat this Angel, as well.

However, the two of them could suddenly see from afar an enormous object depart from the passageway they found! It seemed to be rather circular and took up almost half the size of the opening. Was it some kind of flying saucer? But wait, its shape had finally revealed! Before Heero could conclude what it was, it suddenly flew away at high speeds! Noticing it was also spinning rapidly, it appeared as a propeller spinning out of control, headed towards Earth! To make matters worse, he noticed another one exactly like it follow it out of the passageway and onto the same path as the previous. While still soaring over the incoming tentacles and drones, he counted a total of twelve that escaped!

"What were those?" Heero asked himself under his breath.

* * *

><p>"We completely lost contact with Eva Units 01 and 00!" Hyuga announced, "We're not receiving any form of signal nor status condition at all from either of them!"<p>

Misato slammed her fists beside the keyboard he was using, "You can't be serious! We have to know what's going on with Rei and Heero, especially with this critical crisis going on right now! Start finding them NOW!"

"Will do whatever I can, Major!" Hyuga maintained.

"How about Unit 02?"

"It…" Aoba was the first to announce this, "Appears to be descending into the upper atmosphere!"

"THE ATMOSPHERE? How is Asuka doing?! She may have been hurt hard by the onslaught! Give me a rundown of her Unit's physical condition!" Misato ordered him. This plight she was put into had just gotten worse. She felt that any more stresses laid upon her could cause her to lose all sanity!

"I'm on it!" Aoba responded.

Misato carefully observed the screen. They could not send or receive any camera viewings from the Eva Units – in spite of the three technicians solely focused on them now – so they could only view the many surveillance cameras around Tokyo-3, and even the world. She saw the same thing in almost every view: drones wrecking havoc upon whatever they found among the living! Screams and cries were heard in almost every clip they had scrolled over. It was like watching the end of the world in film, only this was really happening.

She tried to remain as calm as she could. She looked around the entire Command Center, making sure everything was at least in order in this terrible chaos. Her eyes then waved over Maya, whom she noticed was suddenly shaking on her seat!

"Report, Lieutenant?" Misato indifferently asked.

"MAJOR KATSURAGI!" Maya shrieked, "Our problems just multiplied! There are twelve of those Libra decoys that Heero and Asuka had destroyed just hovering above various parts of the globe! They're scattered in random locations, but one is oddly hovering above Tokyo-3 this VERY MOMENT!"

"WHAT?!" Misato yelled, "Give me a look of that thing, RIGHT NOW!"

The image of the Libra clone had taken up the entire screen. This was all Misato wanted to see right now. It looked no different from the previous one, but she had noticed this one had been in motion! It was spinning rather gradually, and it did so the whole time while suspended in the air. Was it preparing for something?

A golden ring of light suddenly formed at the center of the fortress! This ring also began to spin, but far more rapidly than the ship! Eventually, the entire ring from the inside began to fill in. It had now become a sphere of fire!

"It better not be doing what I'm about to think it will do," Kozo commented.

"Oh, it is…" Misato whispered. She could already tell it was going to destroy the city from down below. The monster probably came here as every other Angel, or was it some other purpose? That didn't matter now. She gave out her order, "CONTACT DUO RIGHT NOW! HE'S OUR ONLY DEFENSE AGAINST THIS BATTERING RAM!"

* * *

><p>He had sliced through a small group of drones, carefully avoiding to completely chop them! They would regenerate in a matter of minutes, but all he hoped to do was ensure they don't get up for a while after he knocked them down. It almost seemed wherever he and Shinji went, there were to be a squad of drones waiting for them!<p>

Duo glanced to his side at what he assumed to be the last military copter getting clobbered by a drone! He and Shinji were now alone on this battlefield with supposedly thousands of drones that had flooded the city! The fortress of Tokyo-3 was completely breached, and only a wounded Gundam stood as the city's last defense!

"W-what do we do now?" A terrified Shinji asked his friend, holding himself back from screaming in terror.

The emitter of the scythe had shut off. Duo sighed, "Whenever I get into tough spots like this, Shinji, I would blow myself up**[4]**. But I suppose it's not really my thing anymore," Duo remarked.

"You would WHAT?!" Shinji said, grabbing the collar of Duo's shirt, "B-BUT…?!"

"We only got plenty of options when we're cornered out like this."

"Duo…" Shinji said, "You don't understand. I can't let you do this."

"Better than being skewered on a stick by these guys."

"You don't understand…_At all_." A tear ran down Shinji's eye.

"What's on your mind, buddy?" Duo calmly asked. Shinji's eyes were no longer in sadness, but they were now covered with deep fear! Almost like a young child after a traumatic event, Shinji's face went completely blank. The stared towards one another like this for what seemed to be several minutes.

"DUO?!" Misato's shout broke the silence! Duo listened to her, while Shinji continued to be in his blank state.

"What's up, Misato? Make it quick because we're about to get brutally murdered here in a matter of minutes!" Duo said.

"RIGHT ABOVE YOU! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" She wailed.

Duo looked above him like where she said. To his surprise, he remarked, "Another Libra?" Until that peculiar feature of this ship made it different from the last – it's fiery ring at the center of it. "Wait a minute… I'M GETTING THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

Deathscythe spread its wings and took flight immediately! The drones had started to screech again, with several of them flying after the Gundam upon its ascension from the ground! Duo ignited the full throttle, allowing his mobile suit to approach its maximum speed!

Just like he expected, right behind him a long ray of light beamed down upon the city! It was a perfect copy of Libra's beam cannon, and held just as much destructive power as it! The beam had crushed the ground upon impact, annihilating everything within its radius! The destructive power only intensified as the contact with the ground let out a shockwave, increasing its span of doom across a larger area of the city! Duo had successfully escaped the main attack, but drones were still following him as well as the shockwave that followed!

"You have to do something against what's hovering above the city! You're our only chance we have at bringing it down, now!" Misato commanded.

"It probably has an AT Field just like the other one, which I won't be able to get past! There's gotta be another way!" Duo countered. He was going to try it anyway, even though he knew it would definitely fail. He turned his Gundam's direction upward to where he could now approach Libra! He ignited the emitter on his beam scissors, ready to endure another surprise!

The surprise then came to him before he could even think about it! A small flock of drones intercepted him in his path! Every one of them screeched, as it was their way of saying that he will not get past them.

Duo held the scythe above his head, and once again he threw the blades downward upon a drone directly in front of him! He cried loudly for battle, putting all of his strength into this one strike! But it did not touch the drone, he then realized. The swing halted in midair so suddenly! It became perfectly clear when Duo noticed a wall of bright light suddenly appeared in between him and this one drone! The beam scythe could not penetrate the powerful shield of brilliance! Seconds later, the wall had recoiled both the blade and Deathscythe backwards! The cockpit shook with great tremor – so mightily that Shinji had come back to his senses!

Duo, noticing a little blood coming out of his nose, already could tell that he wasn't a match for these grunts any longer. He, in fact, wished that he had detonated his Gundam when he had the chance. He had wiped the blood off, then tried to keep as calm as possible:

"You have an AT Field now. That's cute."

* * *

><p>Rei and Heero had finally arrived at the entry point! Luckily, not a single drone escaped this time. It was a perfect opportunity to venture in right now. After avoiding the numerous tentacles that attempted to ensnare them and the drones that aimed to halt their progress, the both of them found themselves in minor wounds. Rei had been panting heavily from within her cockpit, as she had been trying her best to endure the pains dealt upon her by drone hands. Heero was also in a similar state, though he now had a small scar grazing the lower side of his neck! Ignoring it, he maintained his mindset towards the mission.<p>

"We're here," Heero murmured. He looked to his side and noticed even more drones were headed their way! He quickly took Unit 01 by the hand, ensuring that the both of them would go through without separation. Reentering top speed, he and his unit rushed downward into the massive hole! The drones had failed to catch them, as the two units were now descending hurriedly into the body of the Angel!

They flew through the tunnel, directly into the darkness! Heero noticed through the camera within Rei's cockpit that she had her eyes closed, waiting quietly for the next event to come across them. Heero took a deep breath, taking this moment to forget of all the pain he had underwent throughout the course of this battle.

"Heero?" Rei had asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"Are you frightened? _At all_?" She whispered, keeping as calm as she could with no regards to the current distressful situation.

Heero wasn't exactly sure how to answer her. From that moment where he first saw the apocalypse on Earth, he could easily say he was absolutely horrified. Right now, however, with his passion at its utmost peaks, could he say right now that he is scared? The outburst of emotions that one human would emit is what he could not simply do.

"No," Heero replied.

"You're seeing something that I can also see."

Heero's eyes widened, "So you know, too?"

"Yes."

"You also know things that I don't know."

As they spoke to one another, they didn't even look at one-another through the cockpit cameras. They were practically talking to walls, whom would deliver no expression nor interest in whatever a person would say.

"I don't… I'm not hiding anything from you," Rei whispered.

"Nobody else could feel my visions but you. Why is that?" Heero asked.

"I cannot answer… It's beyond even me to why I can understand you, or to feel you like such. It isn't supposed to be this way."

"What do you mean by that?"

Heero finally looked at Rei from her cockpit. She now closed her eyes and held her head down. Oddly, she held both of her hands atop her chest, right over her heart. Rei then placed her hands back on the cockpit controls again, then remained perfectly still.

"This unit… The Evangelion. It's unexplainable for me. Like Ikari…"

Rei suddenly stopped speaking when the scenery of this dark tunnel began to change! The blackness turned to brightness, and the world now seemed to be spinning intensely like a space cyclone! The winds pushing in every direction served as a catastrophic imbalance between the air pressures! They were no longer in space. They were venturing through a light wormhole-like vortex leading them to a realm unknown! The fabric of time and space held almost no meaning here, as both Heero and Rei were now in a portal between two distinct dimensions where disorder reigned and stability ceased!

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>Makoto Hyuga is one of the three prime computer technicians at Nerv Headquarters alongside Maya Ibuki and Shigeru Aoba. His duty is exactly like his two partners, but his most notable trait is his crush on Misato Katsuragi. There are several hints of his attraction for her throughout Neon Genesis Evangelion. He can be classified as the "nerdy one" between the three technicians.

**[2]** Note that this is referring to the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force (JSSDF). Their prime vehicles compose of tanks, bombers, gunships, as well as various ground support units.

**[3] **Misato is noted to hold the largest grudge against the Angels due to the incident of Second Impact.


	20. Chapter 20

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Am planning on going back to some chapters to correct the syntax of my work. Am evolving as a writer, you know. ^_~**

**Chapter 21 will hopefully be out in a few days, as I had to split the chapters to avoid making this one too long.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

Gendo raised his key card, then swiped it down with a quick motion. The door automatically opened, and from there he walked in gradually. This room was top secret, with only he, Commander Fuyutsuki, and a few select of the elite allowed into this part of Nerv Headquarters**[1]**.

The lights of this lounge automatically flipped open. For the first time in years since he's been into this private lounge, he gazed upon the prized furniture and conveniences rooting from all over the globe. Suited for a king, he always thought. This room combined the modern nature of technology as well as the retro classiness of an older fashion. The mini waterfall along the side of one wall created a soothing ambience that fulfilled the room with serenity. The calm atmosphere became stronger as the fireplace in the room had kindled upon his entry. The record player automatically began to play the moment he walked in, playing the soft tune of a classic song, "Close to You"**[2]**, from decades ago on this Earth.

He first walked over to a small cabinet that sat beneath a mirror. He first looked at himself in the mirror, realizing that his physical looks had nothing peculiar now. He then took off his right glove, first noticing the burns on his hand still there**[3]**, but he tried to ignore that as he reached down towards a drawer, opening it carefully.

Inside of this drawer were two items – a picture frame and a container. He took the picture frame out first, laying it gently atop the cabinet. It had been covered in dust, so he took his left hand that was still gloved and gently brushed away the dust from the frame. There, he could see the faces of both Shinji, but more noticeably his wife. The beautiful face of his once dear Yui Ikari**[4]** never failed to make him cheerful inside, but at the same time he could not express it openly. He stared at this picture for an entire minute, recollecting just a small moment from the past.

He then pulled out the container. It was small – no bigger than the size of his palm. Opening the container, he found a small cloth. He had unraveled this cloth slowly yet carefully. He revealed a long, single strand of hair. It was whitish, a very pale color. He observed this hairpiece with deep concentration, analyzing it with his own naked eye. It was very well still a good piece of biology. He felt it was about time he performed some work on this trace.

Gendo knew also that he wasn't alone in this room. While he had his mindset on the hairpiece this entire time, there was most certainly another person accompanying him. It was no mere intruder. While placing the hairpiece back into the cloth, he spoke:

"I would like DNA analysis done on this article, Professor Akagi," Gendo said. He knew it right from the start that she was pursuing him.

He turned around, noticing a young, blonde woman sitting on the sofa pointing a pistol at him! He was not frightened at all of her, mysteriously. Ritsuko seemed to be entirely relaxed with a gun pointed at Gendo. She wasn't willing to kill him…Yet.

"Alright. Will do just that," Ritsuko sarcastically replied.

Gendo closed the drawer, then slowly walked before the coffee table that lay in front of the sofa she was sitting in. Unafraid of her, he was ready to speak his mind out.

"What good will murdering me now do for you? I expected you to pull off this nonsense of an action long ago."

"You took the hint, I see. Took you long enough! I always wanted some kind of revenge on you for some time," Ritsuko explained.

"What's your bargain, then?"

"You sent a young boy to his death, that's what," Ritsuko said and stood up, showing a little more anger in her manner. "What surprises me more is that this time it isn't your son."

"Me? Send _him_ to his death?" Gendo muttered. "It amuses me that you fail yet again to understand my plans for the boy."

"Heero nor Duo aren't your errand boys, _Commander_," Ritsuko scolded with dismay, "You forced the deployment of Custom Eva Unit 00, while you know that it is just as or even more flawed than the current Eva Units."

"It's his fault that his lackluster ability to pilot an Evangelion exists!" Gendo contended. "He requires the strength and synchronization to fully operate a machine hybrid of the Angels, but fails in both categories."

"You just exploited what I wanted to hear…" Ritsuko said. From behind her lab coat, she pulled out a folder full of files. She slammed the folder on the table. Few files slipped out of the folder, one of them holding a title that said, _Innovate, Do Not Recreate_.

"Your point, Professor?"

"The plans for the creation of a completely robotic hybrid of the Evangelion and Gundam were already established and were calculated with a high success rate. Those plans were trashed, but the action wasn't done by any of our scientists, because we all unanimously agreed to create the hybrid. It had to be done through an order. The mechanics of the Gundam were scarcely used in the making of this new unit, as the mainframe had been composed primarily of artificial Evangelion material."

Gendo nodded. He indeed did give out the order to construct an Evangelion apart from the original plans. It was the base of a mass-produced Evangelion**[5]**, shipped in from the United Nations, that would serve as the core of Custom Eva Unit 00.

"The fact that Heero's piloting a new Eva Unit does not show any true disadvantage. He's saving the world now as we speak…"

"_You_ were the one that requested for this project to undergo! However, we all observed, including you, that Heero's compatibility with Eva Unit is atrocious! He won't survive very long, especially in an all-out battle like this! Let alone, you trashed the perfectly good plans for the ideal unit that fit him!" Ritsuko raised her voice higher now in a more aggressive tone.

Gendo went silent. What she was saying was true, but what did he really intend? Just a moment ago, he knew completely a plan for the two Gundam pilots. Now, he was at a lost.

"That's not all that's among the files. I also discovered that _you_ were the one who sent Nerv squadrons one night to kill him in cold blood! YOU ARE A MURDERER!" Ritsuko jerked her hand forward, the one that was holding the gun. Her hand was shivering greatly, as well as her face turning red out of anger.

Gendo once again did not say anything. He watched as she was starting to tremble emotionally. He made no response to her for several moments. By staring at her alone, he could tell his look made her hate him even more. She uncovered the truth about that night weeks ago when they forced Heero to pursue the enemy, that it was he, the Commander, all along who tried to murder a young boy.

"I suppose I misjudged him when he arrived here."

"Bullshit…" Ritsuko whispered.

"He knew all about the first 'Angel', and in fact held visions of this second one. His presence here poses a threat to the whole world and everything that we, as the world, have worked for!"

"He cares about the world much more than you do," Ritsuko insisted. Gendo gasped. "You have to give me a much better reason to why you wanted him dead."

Gendo took the small container he was holding, then tossed it to her. Still pointing the gun at him, Ritsuko gently caught the object. She looked at it for a brief moment.

"_That_ is a bulk of your reason," Gendo said. "You will have to do your own research from there, because it holds far better answers than what I can give you. Give me what I want out of that piece, and I'll give you what you want."

Ritsuko slipped the container into her pocket. She faced him again with the gun still pointed at him, now beginning to back away to the exit of this lounge.

"Well played. Have a relaxing rest of the night," Ritsuko said, again with sarcasm. She lowered the gun and turned around completely, making her way out of the door.

Gendo took the seat on the sofa, realizing the soothing music was still playing, the fireplace still burning, and the waterfall still flowing. Second thoughts of Heero began to hit him the more he dwelled on it. Ritsuko's words were somehow truer than he imagined. Before she left the room, he remarked to her:

"The more I think about it, Professor, Heero serves as the son I always wanted: loyal, determined, strong-willed. A side of me feels his value to me as a person alone."

"Wanna try giving that kind of value to Shinji, first?" Ritsuko said. She had departed from his presence.

* * *

><p>The boys noticed the first blast from the cannon had concluded, leaving a massive crater within the center of the city! Looking upward, they could still see that the fiery circle was still there, indicating it was preparing another shot. Duo took his attention off that to recall the current situation.<p>

"Alright, we're completely screwed now!" Duo yelled, now surrounded by the several drones, ready to pounce on him at will. "If you have a sledgehammer that can break through these damn AT Fields, then I'd appreciate that right now!"

"Just get out of there, Duo! You're already in a no-win situation now!" Aoba pleaded.

Duo turned to Shinji, whom was surprisingly being very calm in this scenario. He put his hand on Shinji's shoulder, saying, "It only takes one of us to blow this thing to bits. I'm gonna try to get us to the ground, and from there you can make your way outta here!"

"I won't do that, Duo…" Shinji said.

"Think real for once, man! This brawl's already lost by now! I ain't letting my pal die through what I'm about to do now!" Duo disputed.

Shinji shook his head. He gulped. "You've taught me something, Duo. I wanted to tell you this for the past many weeks, but… I'm really starting to feel normal again. I just wanted someone to be nice to me, but nobody's done that better than you have. Don't you see? You're the friend I always wanted! I came to Asuka and then to Ayanami… It just seemed like nobody cared." Suddenly the cockpit went silent, as it was just now Shinji and Duo speaking to each other. "I-I can't abandon you just now. Don't make me leave you like I did to…" Shinji suddenly paused. His eyes flooded with terror.

Duo was in pity to Shinji's stubbornness, yet he was touched by his confession. He couldn't process it right now, due to being in a situation where he could potentially be killed. However, he was confused to when he suddenly paused.

"_Who_?" Duo asked.

Suddenly a tremendous crash hit them both from behind! A drone had knocked Deathscythe out hard! Duo looked outside, noticing he and Shinji had been hurdling downward at a high velocity! Gripping tight to the sides of the Gundam, the boys braced themselves for a devastating impact! However, Duo suddenly acted. He pushed Shinji against the wall and hugged him there as tight as he could! This way, he would have the least amount of movement upon impact!

They both could then feel the collision with the ground! The tremors were unspeakable! The boys felt as though a magnitude nine earthquake had rattled the cockpit! The shaking would continue for a whole minute until when the Gundam would finally stop being scraped across the rocky ground.

Shinji was the first to recover. Duo's strategy for clenching him tightly against the wall somehow worked! However, he immediately discovered that Duo wasn't as fortunate. Shinji was unharmed, but he noticed that many streams of blood now ran down Duo's forehead! Shinji screamed in terror at seeing his friend in such a condition!

"Duo?! DUO!" Shinji wailed as he grabbed Duo by the shoulders, trying to secure him in place. Duo's head swung back and forth, then finally he landed on Shinji's shoulder – almost lifeless. Shinji wrapped his arms around his body tight.

The moment they were dispatched to this mention, he remembered Duo being in high spirits and optimistic about what they were about to undergo. Now, Shinji observes as his friend was in a fatal condition! Blood now soaked Shinji's shirt, and tears now flooded his face. The more Shinji dwelled on it, Duo was his last hope for a chance of happiness. He had been taking it for granted the entire time, and here he was suffering a great trial of pain. _What could he have done to embrace this opportunity more?_ That chance he had was fading from him right before his eyes.

"Don't leave me… I need you here. I'm scared." Shinji pressed his finger's tightly against the back of Duo's head, "_I'm scared_."

* * *

><p>"SOMEBODY SEND OUT A RESCUE TEAM TO GET SHINJI AND DUO! RIGHT NOW!" Misato demanded the entire Command Center.<p>

"Many of the drones are headed towards Deathscythe right now to finish the job! There's no way we can go in there and come out alive!" Maya said.

Misato went paralyzed. What her colleague was saying was right. It was an empty risk to perform, as whatever they would do right now will probably get them killed.

"THE CANNON'S FIRING AGAIN! It's gonna do even more destruction than the last!" Hyuga announced, horrified!

Everybody in the Command Center, save for Kozo, was panicking into chaos. The uproar had not bothered Misato at all, and in fact it was almost like music to her ears. An orchestra playing the song of demise was playing in her soul. Never before on whatever scale had an 'Angel' been this powerful. She asked herself this one question, _Why did it want to destroy the world unlike the other Angels_?

"Units 01 and 00 are missing. Unit 02 is unknown, and Deathscythe is down… What do you suppose we do now, Major?" Kozo asked her. Misato didn't respond. She was simply staring towards the floor with a blank face.

"We now have a sight on something that's approaching Tokyo-3 above! It's descending at high speeds, but it's burning up the closer it comes to us!" Hyuga said.

"Put it up on the screen. Right now!" Kozo said.

They had done so right away. It appeared to be some sort of shooting star, only it was travelling towards them rather than away! The object became bigger and brighter with every passing second!

"What is it? It may mean trouble for all of us!" Kozo implored.

"It's…" Maya said, but she paused.

"Unit 02's physical condition is critical! Temperatures are exceeding greatly than that of what the pilot can handle!" Aoba shouted out. Misato suddenly turned around.

"Unit 02…?" She whispered.

Kozo blinked. "That's not a meteor nor a drone coming down! That's Unit 02! Put all power into Asuka's life support, NOW!"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! I CAN HANDLE IT!" Asuka screamed to the Command Center! The eyes of every member inside of the control room widened! Every one of them was now relieved to hear her alive.

"Unit 02's pack is putting all power into ascension! She's trying to slow down her descend! It should be enough to land safely onto a surface!" Hyuga remarked.

Misato blinked with her eyes getting watery.

* * *

><p>Shinji held his eyes shut tight as he realized the drones were cornering Deathscythe now! They were giving off their deafening screeches, each one piling onto his growing fear! He held Duo tight against him, hoping that he would at least provide him with some bravery in this time of desperate need.<p>

The cockpit shook once! This meant a drone had stuck the Gundam! He hugged Duo even tighter. It shook once again! Shinji's bravery collapsed, and he would give in to the darkness at any moment. He tilted his head barely to get a glimpse of the outside, noticing the drone's hands held high! While there were several of these drones pounding on the Gundam, this next hit was definitely the final blow to be done.

However, he noticed from behind the drone that atop the flying fortress there was a miniature shining figure standing there. No, it wasn't just standing there. It seemed to be hovering above it, swinging its hands downward at something! He looked more closely, realizing the figure had indeed been standing. _Of course_! He thought. This fortress had an AT Field, like Duo said, and this was an Eva Unit attempting to pull through it! He observed the color once, and although it had appeared to be molten as if it emerged from a volcano, it was reddish.

The drones took their attention away from pummeling Deathscythe for a moment. A few of them screeched and took flight towards the fortress! It was Unit 02 that was going to act as their savior now, therefore it was the prime target of the attacking force.

"Asuka…" Shinji whispered.

* * *

><p>"JUST… A LITTLE… MORE!" Asuka screamed as she opened up a small rift inside of the AT Field! Exerting her full strength, she pulled it as wide open as she humanly could! The combined strength of her own and her unit's could open up at least a large enough hole for her unit to squeeze through. She pushed one last time!<p>

She was successful! The moment the rift was wide enough, she squeezed through as fast as she could! Arriving on the other end of the field, the Libra clone was within plain view! On her left hand, she held the beam saber that Heero had lent her before he and Rei had left to approach the depths of the lion's den. She had ignited the beam on the saber, and screaming out loud with a battle cry, she charged towards the battleship! She thrust the sword through a part of the walls, then with all her strength she scraped the edge of its armor by running across the top of the fortress! The beam saber was seemingly powerful enough to pierce the thick outer shell of Libra, and that's all that Asuka had hoped for to happen with this one weapon at her disposal.

However, she suddenly felt an incredible shaking on her feet! Looking to her side, the ship had fired its cannon again! She watched as the beam spiraled downward to make contact with the grounds of Tokyo-3! Enraged at this event, her run turned into a dash! She drew her sword upwards as she now raced towards the center of the ship!

The moment she arrived at the center frame of Libra, she held the beam saber above her head upside-down!

"LETS SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT WHEN SOMEONE STABS YOU FROM ABOVE!" Immediately, Asuka impaled the sword straight downward! The reach of the blade she had hoped would be enough to destroy the engine of the cannon! She pulled the blade back up, then thrust it back downwards! Suddenly, the shaking intensified! The damage done to the core of the ship was enough that the entire ship would meet its doom!

Parts of the five attached wings of the ship began to crumble! The beam of the cannon faded! She had successfully defeated this one ship! The fortress began to descend at a free fall towards the mountains. Asuka immediately leaped off, still gripping tight to the beam saber. She turned around and watched as it now fell to crash to its end.

However, she also heard the sounds of numerous screeches coming from behind her. She turned, and with no surprise at all, the entire horde of drones that attacked Tokyo-3 were coming for her! She took a deep breath and remained calm. Her unit was now holding the beam saber in both hands, now. With both her unit and physical body almost being completely worn out, Asuka was fully prepared for her last stand.

"That's right… Keep 'em coming!" Asuka whispered.

* * *

><p>"The threat has been completely neutralized! Asuka did it!" Maya rejoiced happily. Much of the Nerv staff occupying the Command Center had all joined along in mini-celebration in Asuka's triumph over Libra.<p>

"Don't celebrate yet!" Kozo ordered the whole room.

"There are still countless drones right above our heads! Asuka will have to face them all now!" Aoba mentioned.

Everyone went silent. Nerv Headquarters as a whole went temporarily speechless. Those in the Command Center could only observe the screen as the drones, which covered nearly the entire night sky, had been headed right towards Unit 02.

Misato finally spoke after a long period of time, "We've no choice now. Whatever Heero and Rei are up to, they're our last hope."

* * *

><p>The light that flashed mightily now faded! Heero uncovered his eyes and tried to observe his surroundings. He could conclude already that he was in a different world altogether. This world had been pinkish, with several extraordinary objects of the cosmos revolving around him this very moment. It was completely indescribable to him in all actuality, as this was a portion of the universe that no man has ever ventured into.<p>

"Heero?" Rei's voice called to him. "I'm here."

He turned his unit around and noticed that Unit 01 was still floating behind him! The both of them were supposedly knocked cold for an unknown period of time, but all he wanted to know was that she was safe. Heero held out his hand and beckoned to her. They would both now be venturing through the vast realm of disorder.

They flew forward without stop. Music could be heard, reciting the song perfectly fitting to the abnormalities of this void. It was what they could both hear in this possible place of complete chaos.

"Where are we?" Rei asked.

"I-I don't know…" Heero murmured.

They continued to wander around for several minutes. Wherever they went seemed to bring the same thing – confusion. Whether they wanted to leave here or not, they couldn't. This was a perilous circumstance, as all they hoped to do was to rid of this Angel once and for all.

"This is hopeless…" Heero murmured. "We're not getting anywhere."

"We've come so far just to stop now," Rei said. "Please, let us keep going."

Heero paused in flight. He looked around in every direction, realizing they were still lost in the endless realm of the unknown cosmos. It was indeed hopeless, so he closed his eyes and just rested. He had to rest his mind and hope to find himself in this lost realm. He entered a state of meditation, where he could finally be at peace with himself.

He recalled all that Treize had told him preceding this entire battle. The words rang through his head: '_You cannot cheat fate. No individual can.' 'Do you not even know what direction everyone of this new planet is headed? The path has already been paved, but just your presence alone is what's reshaping it.' 'You must remember that I have already fallen, and I am tied to the will of the Angel.'_

At that moment, Heero re-entered the trial of esoteric mystery. For real this time, his world was blank. Tied to the will of the Angel? What did Treize mean by that? He couldn't have just been a tool of the Angel, because he could feel his human consciousness when he delivered his say on the valor of he and the Gundam pilots. _How was the Angel manipulating him, exactly_? He, too, had realized the Angel had been toying with him in a way. The visions that struck him of the world's end, the seizures that plunged him into the states of anguish, but above all the fact that the spirit of Treize Khushrenada was used as the true messenger.

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. The shape and appearance of the drones was that of something so familiar to him – a mobile suit. Remnants of his world: Libra, White Fang, and both the spirit and voice of Milliardo. _This one Angel…_ He thought. This Angel had been the main source of all the troubles that followed him to this new world.

Another mystery remained to why it could speak to him and how its minions took the forms of adversaries he once knew. There was something about him stood dormant perhaps even before he awoken in this new world. Knowing that the memories had come back to him one after the other upon laying sight on them, it came to show only he could regain the pieces of the past by himself. This Angel was the key to doing so, but at the same time it wanted to destroy him. It hoped to use his own inner peers against him, and that was the true power of this particular foe.

The answer was right in front of him. The enemy took the form of whatever he chose.

"Heero…" Rei said. "How do you make your decisions? How do you hope to find the place where we both seek?"

"I act by whatever my emotions tell me to…" Heero murmured, "And I know now exactly what to do."

Custom Unit 00 extended its wings, suddenly! Heero shut his eyes, concentrating immensely on the thought of the enemy. The Angel had been bending his will the entire time, but no longer.

He took this time to attach and to connect with his Eva Unit – the temple now of both his body and soul. Only alongside this machine could he achieve perfect stability at mind and spirit. He could feel the energy rushing through his being, slowly embodying him with the spirit of the Eva Unit. It was a sensation he could not feel through his Gundam, but only through the embodiment of an Angel could he hope to counter the sins of an opposing Angel. His own weakness that had tortured him in the time piloting an Evangelion had now become his greatest strength!

Rei had her eyes fixed on Heero in surprise. She noticed his concentration merging with his will. The barren world they were in would slowly become fruitful with wonder. She now waved her eyes around her surroundings, noticing the empty void had begun to terraform! The empty space turned into soil with vegetation immediately sprouting from the ground. Water spouted from the ground and flowed throughout the now rich land! A sun rose in front of them, ascending to the peaks of the bright sky then quickly lowering back below the horizon. The process had continued on for what seemed to be minutes! Essentially, Heero had become the Creator – he was in full control of this world!

Rei continued to stare at the rapidly changing world. This was the revelation performed by just one being. However, her eyes raised in shock when suddenly the world erupted into an entirely different change! The grass, trees, and land they were standing on began to erode! The winds gusted violently over the two units, almost knocking Rei off her feet! A fissure grazed through the ground, followed by several more, dividing the ground into a multitude of plates! Magma flowed into the land, burning whatever remains of flourishing life remained! In great horror, Rei stood as close to Heero as she could. _This was his vision of the world's final destiny_, she knew.

* * *

><p>The vision had finally disappeared! Only Rei could see now what was occurring in this world. The realm had now been entirely red – appearing to be trapped within a gigantic red container. Both their units had their feet dipped in some kind of liquid, which practically filled up the entire floor of this area. She had waved her head everywhere, trying to observe what sort of place this has become. Heero, still right behind her, seemed completely frozen now. She was practically alone now in a renewed empty wasteland.<p>

She faced forward now. However, this time there was something right before her eyes. It appeared to be an enormous cross planted on the ground. She noticed it was abnormally tall, so she waved her eyes upward. However, this was already entirely familiar. A white giant with thirteen eyes crucified onto this cross – the Second Angel, Lilith. She fell into awe, yet her heart raced rapidly. She held her blank stare towards the magnificence of the Angel. She was calling her. Her heart was tempted to do it.

"Rei?" Now Heero's voice had called out to her. She felt a hand placed on her shoulder, calling her attention away from Lilith. However, glancing behind only to see whom this was, she realized in seconds the Angel in front of her was no longer there!

* * *

><p>Rei suddenly slapped Custom Unit 00's hand away, much to Heero's surprise! He jumped for a moment at her hurriedly response. He noticed that in her cockpit, she looked somewhat somber. Her hair covered most of her face, and she was breathing heavily.<p>

"What's wrong?" Heero asked.

Rei brushed away pieces of her hair with her hand. She breathed normally now and her facial expression became plain blank once again. "I'm fine."

Heero turned back around. The moment Rei could finally see again, she now noticed they were now in a more regular setting. It was entirely composed of abundant grass, with a bright yellow sun and blue skies above them. The only unusual feature of this place was there was an archery shooting range and a tea table lying in a random spot in the middle of nowhere. A place like this could only have rooted from the mind of the one who brought them here.

"You've been here before?" She asked.

"It's exactly where it brought me before, yes," Heero remarked.

The two were silent for a moment. They looked in every corner to find a trace of the Angellic core. However, grass and blue skies were really all they could find now. They now walked in opposite directions from each other in hopes to cover more ground.

"The Angel…" Rei whispered. Heero blinked. Rei turned to him. "Where is it-…?"

A large black object suddenly emerged from the sky and slammed Unit 01 from behind! The impact knocked Rei to the ground, dragging her all the way to where Custom Unit 00 was! Heero jumped out of pure shock at her sudden ambush! He noticed the entire ground had now become a much darker shade of green, and in fact he and Unit 01 appeared much darker than normal. Looking above, he grew even more shocked when he found that a smaller yet still massive version of the Angel had hovered right above their heads! The two Eva Units were right under the stare of the ferocious beast!

Heero helped Unit 01 back onto its feet. Afterwards, Heero drew his buster rifle from his side, immediately taking aim upwards toward the beast. He hypothesized that this Angel didn't even have a core, but instead this only had a soul that could be reaped!

"Zechs didn't have a core…" Heero whispered. "I _will _have to destroy on my own."

He adjusted the rifle's power level to the highest output possible, in which Misato had told him it had the power to level an entire city or potentially more! Rei and Unit 01 stood behind Heero, clearing the way for a devastating blast to take place!

The Angel took its sight off the both of them, now this time focused on Unit 01. Rei could see that it was locked onto her, mysteriously. Particularly aimed at the unit, its frightening stare now peered into Unit 01 – unknown to what it was doing. Rei was shivering, trembling, and then the outburst came…

The tentacles had cleared from the path of destruction, now, and Heero was able to get a free shot! However, he suddenly heard a deafening roar from behind him! He took his aim off the Angel briefly to check on Unit 01. It was in major distress! The unit was chaotically fidgeting. Completely restless, it was close to going berserk!

"Rei?!" Heero called to her. "REI?!" Still holding the buster rifle in his left hand, he grabbed Unit 01 by the arm, trying to keep it stable.

He noticed Unit 01 had its prog knife armed in its left hand. Rei wasn't wielding it a moment ago, he remembered. However, Unit 01 now raised it high! It lunged forward at Custom Unit 00, stabbing the knife deep within its shoulder! Unit 01 let out a thunderous roar, while Heero screamed in excruciating pain!

* * *

><p>Shinji studied the cockpit's controls briefly. He searched for a button that would open the cockpit. Alas, his eyes waved over something that said "Open Hatch" over the panel in front of Duo. Pressing it, he realized the door in front of him slowly began to open. Only mildly relieved, he still panicked uncontrollably at heart. He quickly threw Duo's left arm over his left shoulder and wrapped his arm behind his back, lifting himself and Duo up.<p>

Suddenly, he heard a chuckle coming from his side! Shinji gasped, glancing over to his side and noticing Duo had been smiling!

"Boy, this is the closest to Death I've ever been for a while… D-did I ever tell you that, Shinji?" Duo said in a faint but cheerful tone.

"N-no."

"I'm not gonna lie… You weren't on the top of my list of peeps who would play the hero. Here you are right now, saving my ass in this hell of an apocalypse." Duo laughed, but with a very hoarse sounding in his voice. He grinned, "Face it, buddy, you're really meant to be some kind of hero for everyone here."

Shinji blushed from his flattery. Duo suddenly let out a huge cough, with a little blood coming out. Nonetheless, he could still see Duo's smile in response to Shinji's grief.

"Don't worry about that now…" Shinji said, carrying the both of them out of the cockpit and onto the Gundam's torso, "I need to get you some help."

The boys carefully landed on the hard ground, leaving Deathscythe behind. With Duo still limping mightily, Shinji struggled to keep him upright and on his feet. They started walking over the rubble laid by the destruction caused. Shinji had checked on Duo every other moment to see if his condition got any worse, and it did.

Duo jerked his head upward, "T-there's something to keep us entertained while we get there."

Shinji looked up at the dark sky. It became visible in an instant that the tall, red figure of Unit 02 was combating hordes of drones! Even more eye-catching was the weapon it was holding – Custom Unit 00's beam saber! The fact that Asuka was wielding Heero's weapon… What did this possible signify?

"I'm really hoping Heero and Ayanami are okay…" Shinji murmured.

"Don't sweat it," Duo said. "I-I'm sure they're still up in space doing their own thing."

"Let's hope so…" Shinji said, walking with his head down now.

"The only problem is that I don't know how much longer Asuka can handle it. She's our last line of defense now, and that's only for the city. The rest of the world is on its own."

Duo's voiced began to sound more and more hoarse every time he spoke. Shinji wanted to warn him to save his strength, but at the same time his words were the one thing that could keep him calm and at ease right now. The two were still trapped in this battlefield, blazing with chaos in every corner. Shinji had to get his friend to safety before his last breath would be taken.

* * *

><p>Asuka found herself completely cornered out. Swinging the sword violently in every direction didn't initially seem like it was getting her anywhere, but at this point it would allow her survive a little longer. She could feel traces of blood running down her cheeks and pain sinking into almost every location on her skin. The drones were tearing her apart by every coming moment, and they would finish the task within minutes.<p>

She screamed every time she felt the blade slice through a hefty number of drones, fueling her rage more! She had not only limits on her body, but also on her soul. Asuka would tire out either way and give in at any moment, but even her current determination was beyond her!

"Unit 02's too badly damaged! There's no way Asuka can handle much more of this! With her suddenly abnormal synch ratio; when the Eva Unit falls, she'll go along with it!" Aoba responded.

"Major, what are your orders?" Maya panicked.

"Keep your attention on Asuka! She's the last defense Earth has at this point!" Misato ordered them, then turned forward to address the entire Command Center. "AND WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GET A GODDAMN RESCUE TEAM TO RETRIEVE SHINJI AND DUO?!"

"The drones seem to be leaving Deathscythe alone now, it'd probably be the best time to do that now!" Maya exclaimed.

"GET ON WITH IT, THEN!" Misato ordered at the top of her voice, suddenly collapsing onto the desk and breathing heavily. Every breath she took weighed nearly a ton, as the stress from this madness was consuming her slowly. She now heard the panicking of many personnel about headquarters, indicating that she was not alone in her hectic mood.

"We have to get her out of there soon. Eject her now!" Kozo commanded.

"With those hundreds of drones still piling up on her, we can't ensure a safe departure from the Eva Unit!" Hyuga retorted.

"Put whatever power necessary into life support! She has to hold as long as she can, then!" Kozo demanded.

Misato could hear her Vice Commander speaking behind her shoulder. At least there was someone right now who could keep his cool in this crisis. To why she was still so anxious about stopping this one 'Angel', she did not even understand. No Angel has ever come this far to bringing such a devastating level of doom upon the world.

"We'll do it, Major," Kozo said, placing his hand on Misato's shoulder. She turned to him, noticing he still had his attention forward. He certainly did not exhibit any fear or stress like she did, but was he possibly hiding it?

Looking towards the three technicians in front of her, she could see that the burden of the task was also tainting them. Drowned within their work, they could only focus on so many aspects of this doomsday. With their eyes red and their whole bodies' shivering, they were clearly just as frightened as she was.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>This room of Nerv Headquarters is completely non-canon.

**[2] **"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a pop song by American musical duo, The Carpenters. It is known as the group's breakthrough and signature song, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. This song is widely considered to be a classic. Note that this song probably did not exist in the Evangelion universe, likewise with Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon".

**[3] **Gendo Ikari received severe burns on both his hands from an accident involving the berserker mode of Eva Unit 00. In order to rescue her, Gendo forced himself to open the heated entry plug with his bare hands, causing significant damage to his skin from third degree burns. This moment and these scars signify the father-daughter relationship between Gendo and Rei.

**[4] **Yui Ikari is the deceased wife of Gendo Ikari and the mother of Shinji Ikari. Initially a bioengineer for Nerv's roots, Gehirn, she was the prime subject in a Contact Experiment (known as "Project E" or the "Adam Revival Project") with a prototype Eva Unit 01. She became involved with the help of Kozo Fuyutsuki. Upon execution of the project, an accident occurred resulting in complete backfire of Gehirn's efforts, absorbing her body within the LCL and her soul into the Eva Unit's core. It was all done right before young Shinji's eyes. Yui's relationship to Gendo is shrouded in mystery, but it is clear throughout her implied presences that she deeply cares for Shinji. Rei was created as a result of an attempt to restore Yui.

**[5] **Mass Production Evangelions were a secret project performed under SEELE and are considered the true "Eva series". Nine in total were made in production, and were not seen or heard of until The End of Evangelion. They are much similar to the original Eva Units, but are run by a dummy plug system rather than by actual pilots. Their main purpose was to initiate Third Impact upon the defeat of the last Angel.

* * *

><p><strong>Quick Author's Note:<strong>

Lately I've been indifferent towards 's community. Indifferent might not even be a strong enough word. Had to get this off my shoulders. :/


	21. Chapter 21

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**Finished this a while ago. Didn't feel like posting it until now, lol.**

**Also, there was a HUGE flaw in Chapter 2 that I didn't realize until now. I'll go back and edit it shortly for any more future readers. Thanks!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 21<strong>

Heero could feel the knife sinking into his shoulder deeper every moment! Weakening him severely, he dropped the buster rifle to his side as his arms twitched rapidly! In just a moment, the knife slipped out of Custom Unit 00's body, but the pain still remained intense in his arm. Looking to his side, a noticeable wound could be seen in his shoulder, with blood sinking through his plug suit.

Now breathing heavily, he said, "Rei…" He breathed out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

He heard Rei from the other cockpit, with lots of noise coming from there. She was yanking the two main handles in front of her, trying to pull her Eva Unit away! She banged her fists in front of her, shouting, "I-I don't know what's going on! It's acting on its own!"

Heero looked above and noticed Unit 01 held its other hand high in the shape of a fist! Immediately, its hand raced downward and punched Custom Unit 00 right in the face! Once again, Heero could feel the pain of his own Evangelion! Taking a punch to the face face immediately sent him crashing towards the ground!

"HEERO!" Rei shouted, horrified!

Heero struggled to get back up. Rather than taking a punch to the face, it felt much more like being struck by a battering ram. He's taken hits like this before, but they were never this painful! Weakly tilting his head upward, Unit 01 was preparing to impale another strike upon him with the prog knife! He used whatever of his fractioned strength to whisper to her:

"Y-you can stop it, Rei. You're the master of whatever rests in that unit, _right now_…"

She heard him say this to her. Her eyes widened and she gasped. However, before she could even act, Unit 01 had already swung its hand down towards Heero and his unit! She covered her face in terror, afraid that this would be his end!

However, Heero reacted instantly and caught the wrist of Unit 01! The prog knife's tip lay right upon the forehead of Custom Unit 00! Every bit of strength in Heero's body was directed towards his arm, pushing back the heavy force of Unit 01! He would only be able to hold this for a short time, however, as his arm was close to the verge of failing him!

* * *

><p>Asuka dropped the beam saber, and her arms just fell flat to her sides. This battle was already lost for her. She couldn't even feel her own Eva Unit now. Oddly enough, the world was already silent and frozen around her. She stared blankly in front of her, ignoring the menacing looks of the drones flooding her view. Asuka shuddered, then her soul suddenly left her body.<p>

_I failed. I can't believe it._

Her Eva Unit was spiraling downward helplessly, but she could not feel it. The crash resulted from falling from this high of an altitude could kill her, but she didn't care.

_That imbecile, Heero, probably got even farther than I did. I can't believe I lost to that idiot._

That wasn't her speaking this time. This time she saw an image of herself speaking to her! It was certainly Asuka speaking, yet it wasn't. She now looked upon a mirror image of herself, an extremely selfish one, and she hated it immensely.

_Why the hell am I still fighting in this worthless piece of shit? I thought I was done piloting it months ago, and suddenly I'm back here! Pfft!_

"EJECT HER RIGHT NOW!" Misato's voice rang in this imaginary blank land.

Her entry plug soared out of the spinal column of her unit! Even now, flying at incredible speeds, she could not feel it! She could hear the violins, continuing to play the orchestra of her misery. This music reminded her greatly of a familiar moment from before. Then, a flash struck her of that memory.

It was an Angel she had encountered before**[1]**. Remembering this one grave moment, she let out a deafening scream!

* * *

><p>Shinji couldn't take his frightened eyes away from what he was seeing. A defeated Eva Unit 02 now freely falls towards the hard ground. The drones chasing after Asuka would most certainly finish her off, if not the impact from the upcoming crash would. Thinking of the doom she would face from either fate was already painful enough for him.<p>

"_Shinji_…" Duo said. Shinji returned a look to his friend, whom was looking back up at him. With a small stream of blood running down his mouth, Duo smiled anyway. "Y-you can't just keep dwelling on the worst. Sometimes you just gotta think of how you can make it better."

"B-but what am I to do here?" Shinji worriedly murmured as he continued to walk forward, holding onto his friend. "I'm not even the one fighting… I was just here waiting for some kind of miracle to happen, and look where my stupidity just took me! Asuka may have just lost-…"

"D-don't even think about saying it, bub," Duo said, lowering his head in weakness. "Keep putting your faith in something good to happen, and maybe it'll just come to ya."

Shinji's legs were now beginning to grow tired. Walking through even rougher grounds than before, it was already so hard to just move forward. He was now holding Duo with both of his arms, supporting him the best he could. Walking past now some totaled vehicles from the military; he could tell that he wasn't even close to leaving the battlefield.

However, glancing forward, he jumped in shock as he noticed drones were now flying towards them! Shinji shivered faster than ever, and tears now ran rapidly down his cheeks! He held Duo more tightly than ever, telling him with this hold that he needed his help more than ever. However, Shinji knew that with Duo in this shape, he could only watch and wait like he was.

"K-keep believing, Shinji…" Duo said. "There's no way we're gon' die today."

The drones now scattered across the skies above them! Many of them soaring down and crashing their hands into whatever was on the ground! Rubble from shattered structures now fell atop the streets of Tokyo-3!

Shinji pulled himself and Duo into a nearby alley. There, he sat down, hugging his friend by his side. Noticing Duo was now desperate to keep his eyes open, Shinji's hope for any form of miracle was just about faded.

He kept whispering to himself, _When will this end?_ That's all he wanted.

* * *

><p>"We've gotten a report from the UN that we've lost seven major cities already! They've been overrun by the attack!" Aoba declared to Misato.<p>

Misato paused, processing what he was saying. "I don't even care about that right now! We need Asuka and the boys out of there RIGHT NOW!" Misato implored.

Misato suddenly felt her shoulder being grasped. It was Kozo's hand, she saw. Kozo violently swung her to face towards him. He looked at her furiously. "Will you LISTEN to yourself for a moment, Major? You're making this harder not for us, but for yourself!"

"Our prime focus should be on the safety of Tokyo-3 right now! Before we know it, they'll be flooding the Geofront!" Misato said with her voice sounding slightly more hoarse.

"The moment we send out a rescue team we'll be vulnerable in many ways that even you don't know." Kozo said. "Not only will the team be mercilessly killed by the invaders but just sending them out there leaves a small but possible pathway for the drones to swarm in!"

"THEN WHAT THE HELL SHOULD WE DO?! LET THEIR CARCASSES BE FED ON?" Misato shouted. The entire Command Center went silent. All personnel had their attention on Major Katsuragi, whom just displayed her most atrocious outburst upon Commander Fuyutsuki. Much to their surprise, Kozo did not seem to react and just continued to look at her bitterly.

"You certainly don't sound like the Misato I once knew." Ritsuko's voice was heard from behind her. Misato turned around and found her, whom was looking at her very sternly.

"Stay out of this…" She whispered.

"Major," Kozo insisted. "Why don't you have a talk with Dr. Akagi after this is all through? You've certainly brought something personal into this now, and you'll need help before you do something foolish again."

Misato murmured under her breath, "Why would I need to…-?"

"_That's_ an order." Kozo ordered her.

* * *

><p>A tentacle came soaring in from behind Unit 01! Heero ducked his head to avoid the massive sweep! Alas, it struck Unit 01 mightily from behind, sending the unit flying forward at a high velocity. The unit crashed into the soft grass, which had now become a large pit of dust and stone!<p>

Heero regained a little bit of his energy now that he no longer had to worry about the haywire Unit 01. He spoke softly, "Rei?" He wondered if she was there, but there was no response this time. He glanced over to the hologram showing her cockpit, where she was now lying helplessly against the chair. She was knocked out cold from the impact.

He couldn't worry about her right now. Turning onto his back, he could once again see the fearsome stare of the Angel locked onto him! The malice arousing this one beady eye had even sent chills to a brave warrior like he. Although not as big as the actual Angel, the great size of this beast was more than enough to tear apart the courage of the strongest men. It was utmost terrifying to say the least, he felt.

Heero reached his unit's arm out to the side, groping for the twin buster rifle! Finally feeling it within his grasp, he snatched it instantly and prepared to take aim! However, he then realized his position. Still weak and lying helplessly on the ground, firing a high-output shot would do great harm to him too! _It was an all or nothing chance_, he recited to himself!

Tentacles now darkened his screen! The glare intensified with every second, radiating deeper fear within him. The unit's crosshairs now locked onto the pupil of this behemoth, and now he was ready to fire.

"Target locked-on…" Heero murmured. He pulled the triggers.

The blast of unbearable energy now bulleted towards the Angel! It pierced right through the cornea, eventually breaking into the entire eye itself! The tentacles surrounding the beast now jerked violently as reflection of the damage being done to the unit! An explosion then occurred right at the pupil, nearly the size of a city judging from the distance between them. Once the remains of the wave were ignited into the Angel, Heero could now see an enormous melted hole within the eye! It began to fall towards the ground slowly. He had defeated it, but now it was on a collision course to crush both him and Unit 01!

He struggled even more to stand up, but he was determined to make it out of here alive. Therefore, with one mighty kick forward, his unit leaped upward! He barely landed in a standing position, and the contact with the ground already put a strain on his legs. Struggling to remain on his feet, he simply limped while standing.

He observed his unit's condition, noticing that the buster rifle had overheated completely and was no longer usable. He tossed it aside. However, the rest of the unit's body was in even worse shape. It looked nearly destroyed, with its armor almost completely totaled! Sparks and burns grazed the entire unit by now. The flesh of the inner Eva Unit could now be see. _The body within the Eva Unit_? He suddenly thought. There was something wrong by just looking at this, Heero felt.

There wasn't any time to think about that, however. He looked ahead at Unit 01, whom was still lying unconscious. Spreading his wings, he darted forward with his unit in an instant! The moment he approached Rei's Eva Unit, he lowered his arms and embraced it tightly against his! Approaching top speeds now, he focused entirely on escaping from the zone shrouded by the Angel's mass. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for the worst to come!

* * *

><p>Shinji held his eyes shut for so long already. He wouldn't care if he ever saw the light again. He just wanted this madness to end. Laying his head on Duo's shoulder now, he only hoped the comfort of his wounded friend would bring him some kind of peace.<p>

"H-hey Shinji…" Duo murmured, his voice sounding weaker than ever.

He looked over to his friend whom was now grinning. Weakly, Duo jerked his head upward, telling Shinji to look there. As he did so, he was thrown into fascination in an instant! A drone suddenly fell atop a building that was across from the alley they were in! It was panting and wailing loudly, supposedly in pain!

The drone was also changing in appearance – from the fearsome replica of a mobile suit to a far more disfigured shape. Eventually, it reduced to merely a metallic, silvery blob. The blob had then melted, continuing to dissolve away until no matter remained. The once terrible foe had become a nothingness that posed no more threat to them.

Shinji observed the rest of the skies, where drones were now falling out of the sky like rain. He could see them colliding with the ground, also sharing the same fate as the drone he just witnessed! Some of them had even died before they hit the ground!

"L-lets go in there, shall we?" Duo jerked his head in a different direction now. This time, he pointed towards a manhole that was in the middle of the alleyway. "Don't wanna get crushed by raining scrap junk, huh?" He chuckled with a hoarse voice. Shinji returned to him a very brief smile, and he lifted his friend up to carry him to the manhole.

Upon arrival within moments, he lifted the cover and threw it aside immediately. He first allowed Duo to go down there first, so he gently lowered his friend down by holding tightly to both his wrists. Shinji then followed, still keeping close to him. From there, Duo sat down on the ground and relaxed.

Laughing hoarsely but joyfully, Duo remarked out loud, "I think Heero just pulled off something impossible again! That moron couldn't get anymore stubborn, c-can he?"

Shinji watched Duo as he was laughing. He couldn't help but feel better inside, too. With that feeling, Shinji gave him a slight smile. Rei was probably with him right now, too, helping him throughout all of this.

"Ayanami…" Shinji whispered happily to himself.

Duo stopped laughing, then smiled towards Shinji with a happy face. "T-this is the miracle you've hoped for, buddy. You oughta cherish it."

* * *

><p>No longer were they within the heart of the Angel. No longer were there illusions. Rather, they were inside of the physical body of it, attempting an escape! The realm of the unknown had soon come to a complete fade, and Heero now flies through an intensely prolonged tunnel, covered in darkness. His first few minutes of passing through this place seemed to be an hour! Custom Unit 00 had already reached maximum speed, yet he doesn't know how long it can withstand such speeds in such this condition. Let alone his physical body, already strongly strained by the status of the Evangelion.<p>

Held between his unit's arms was a motionless Unit 01. Not only was Rei unconscious, but her unit was completely calm after that tremendous outbreak. Heero held onto Unit 01 as tightly as he could in order to ensure they would both make it out of this alive!

The many discomforts reflected onto his body would eventually sink into his mind. He had to take his mind off of any pain he was in. Heero first looked towards Rei, whom was still asleep in the other cockpit. It almost felt like she was right in front of him, although she was actually in the unit opposite of him. Her blue hair had covered most of her face, but right under that he gazed at her features. He realized how perfect they could be – her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks – not a single bruise or scratch scorching her face. She had been resting like an angel in spite of being in this crisis situation. Heero imagined most soldiers in battle to have scars covering the bulk of their entire bodies, but seeing Rei was much different. She was no soldier.

Light suddenly shined upon his face! Looking upward, he saw it instantly! It was the light at the end of the tunnel! Heero felt mildly relieved to be seeing this, but what concerned him more is what else out there would await him. The easiest phase of this escape plan was complete.

* * *

><p>"We've detected that the Libras have all suddenly collapsed!" Maya announced.<p>

"WHAT?!" Misato turned her head forward.

"She's right, Major! The drones are suddenly going inactive and are disappearing in rapid amounts. From what we're seeing, they're disintegrating for some apparent reason!" Aoba said.

"The Angel also seems to be moving away from the planet! Its reading on the radar is leaving us slowly!" Hyuga declared.

Misato's spirits suddenly soared, but at the same time she wasn't really sure. This may be some sort of a climax that turns the tides of this battle. Raising her head, she turned forward.

"No time to celebrate yet. Send out that rescue squad to retrieve Asuka and the boys right now! We can finally ensure a safer escort." Kozo ordered, right before Misato could say the exact same thing. "Show us whatever is happening up in space!"

"Satellites were destroyed from the attack. We're gonna resort to telescope, Commander!" Aoba said.

From the massive screen in front of them, they could see explosions going off in a rather dark background! However, there was one peculiar aspect of this visual – there was a shining object that appeared to be growing bigger as little time went by! It had to be approaching them according to this nature.

"Is it some kind of comet? We need a closer look on it!" Kozo exclaimed.

"It's most definitely not a comet. That's Unit 00 headed right towards the atmosphere!" Ritsuko answered.

Hyuga turned to Ritsuko. "Custom Unit 00? That means they made it out safely! Heero must be behind all of this!"

"And don't forget Rei. Unit 01 seems to be latched onto Unit 00," Aoba said. "Though that's not what's concerning me right now…"

"Report, Lieutenant!" Kozo commanded.

"Custom Unit 00's condition is catastrophic! It will burn up in the atmosphere with its current level of damage. Heero is bound to suffer all the same, too!"

"WHAT?" Ritsuko said. "The unit's wings adapted the same technology from Gundam Wing Zero. If it folds its wings upon re-entry, he'll be perfectly safe from the extreme heats!"

"The unit's just not in the shape to do that! Even if we try to protect Heero the best we can from here, he still won't survive the burn-up!" Aoba explained.

"Heero's chance of a successful re-entry is roughly thirty percent and dropping! And since Unit 01 is literally held onto Unit 00, any disaster that happens to one unit will doom the other one in an instant!" Hyuga emphasized.

Misato blinked. She could already imagine what Rei and Heero were going through. A slim chance of success would all she could ask for, but simultaneously it was a lot to stress over. Her face now covered in sweat and her fists clenched tight, she waited for an outcome.

* * *

><p>Looking behind, the planet-sized Angel was already close to meeting its end. The drones and tentacles surrounding it were melting then fading, indicating the Angel's forces were also to perish along with it. Facing forward again, the Earth was within complete sight. The entire eastern hemisphere now filled up almost the entire view in front of him. He was approaching it fast, however, so the sphere before him appeared to grow larger certainly.<p>

"Heero?" Misato spoke. It was the first time he heard her voice since the start of the battle! "HEERO?!"

"I'm here."

"Rei is with you, right?"

"Correct. She's currently unconscious."

"You're about three-thousand meters away from entering the rim of the thermosphere! We're to let you know right now that with the high damage report of your unit, your chances of successfully getting back in are fluctuating! Not only that, but you're also at a high risk!" She echoed through his cockpit.

Heero blinked. "I've done this kind of thing before**[2]**, and right now's re-entry shouldn't be any different!" He returned.

"You wouldn't understand! The Eva Unit's still-…"

He suddenly couldn't hear the rest of Misato's explanation. Pain now roamed his body once more. He tried so hard not to put his mind on it, but now was a moment when it really got crucial. Blood had run down the wound in his shoulder and from his forehead for the past several minutes, and an intense aching could be felt in his biceps and ribs. Whatever Misato had mentioned, it probably regarded his attachment to the Eva Unit. He certainly couldn't have forget it.

"Heero, did you hear me? Re-entry could cause you and Rei to…-"

"We _will_ survive!**[3]**" Heero countered her over to the Command Center. He began by slowing down his Eva Unit as much as he could, yanking back on the handles. He then concentrated on drawing the wings closer to himself, concealing both he and Unit 01. "Preparing for atmospheric re-entry," He whispered to himself.

He shut his eyes and waited. The LCL around him soon began to warm. The hot environment soon conducted onto his body, in which now he could feel a larger effect of heat! He checked on Rei, who appeared to be perfectly safe _for now_. He could see that she was sweating a little, indicating that the heat was also affecting her!

However, the situation suddenly became worse fast! Heero broke out into a heavy sweat! He could see the white wings wrapped around the both of them glowing bright red, indicating that the height of the heat was now upon them. The air pressure closed in onto them, with any greater strength would surely crush the both of them!

"They're headed through right now… Better pray for a marvel," Kozo's words were heard from the Command Center.

* * *

><p>"D-do you hear something?" Duo asked Shinji out of nowhere.<p>

Shinji woke up. His exhaustion caused him earlier to fall asleep. It was ironic because Duo in this very feeble state was wide-awake. Nonetheless, Shinji was grateful that Duo was regaining a bit of his strength now that they were both rested.

He now put all of the strength of his senses into his hearing. The destruction of the drones and buildings above them ended about five minutes ago. This time, he heard something quite different. Almost like a jet airplane, only the sound was growing larger rather than fading from take-off. Furthermore, it was coming from right above them.

"It's probably coming from right above us," Duo said, laying his head back on the sewer walls.

"I'll go check it out," Shinji said, standing up.

Shinji took the ladder on the wall and immediately climbed upwards to the manhole. It didn't take him long to reach the top, but already the sound was much greater! He climbed all the way out, with his feet now flat in the alleyway! Walking over to the opposite end where he could hear the soft noise coming from, it only grew stronger. He checked his surroundings, finding nothing but a few metallic pieces of defeated drones and destroyed materials from the weapon caches and structures.

The noise could now be noticeable by any human ear! He glanced upward, and in an instant he could already see what it was! It appeared to be some kind of a shooting star, except it appeared to be coming down in his direction! Any minute now, a meteor crash would come down onto Tokyo-3!

"Oh my God…" Shinji whispered. "OH MY GOD!" He screamed out loud in utter fright then turned back towards the manhole!

He didn't know if he could rescue himself and Duo in time, but he felt that he needed to act anyway. For all he knew, it wouldn't really mean much if the impact landed right above the city.

* * *

><p>"Major Katsuragi!" Someone unknown was heard over the PA within the Command Center, "We found Asuka's entry plug along the outskirts of the city. She's unresponsive but she's still alive. We should be able to bring her back safely!"<p>

Misato could recognize the statement being delivered only by a rescue team member. She acknowledged it without question.

"Excellent! Hurry it up, though!" Misato ordered.

"Ten kilometers and still descending rapidly! Heero has lesser control of his unit the longer he stays up there!" Maya confessed. "Any meteor impact with the surface won't only harm them, but it could mean significant damage to us, too!"

"We'll keep our eyes on them! It's all in God's hands now, whatever happens!" Misato yelled.

* * *

><p>Heero could already see some clouds covering the next incoming layer of the atmosphere! It wouldn't be long before their altitude would hit zero now. The worst of the immense temperatures have already passed. In whatever fashion they connected with the ground, it would be the end of the nightmare completely. His body had already begun to fail him. His vision became distorted and his hearing became muffled. The wounds he was inflicted with grew more painful the longer he stayed inside of the Evangelion.<p>

"I've come too far just to fail now…" Heero whispered to himself. "This world's been enduring thanks to my help. _It won't be the last_." He gulped at the words he was saying. There was now this gut feeling that this Angel wasn't the end of their troubles. He couldn't comprehend the feeling at all.

His eyes now waved over Rei's sleeping face. Heero realized he practically pulled her, Shinji, and the others into all of this chaos. Looking at Rei, somehow he felt an innocent presence stirring in her being that represented the innocence of this world. Heero knew of the war with the Angels that took place on the war grounds of Earth, but upon coming here he brought alongside him another war.

He recalled the exact words he told to Kozo months ago that he had no business with Nerv or anything related to this new world. _"I refuse to work alongside a group like yourselves. I didn't come here to meddle with any of your Angel business." _He could envision himself saying it once again. However, he sees himself now regretting these words.

Every moment he spent in Tokyo-3 came back to him – his encounter and embrace with a broken down Shinji, Asuka punching him across the face, and seeing Rei in her Eva Unit resting peacefully! What was it about these three Children was he so thrilled with? What was a part of them he couldn't understand?

Heero finally realized his purpose of living in a brand new world: To coexist with those much like him. They were perhaps his hope to finally feel free again from the burdens of war, bloodshed, and sorrow. The remnants of the past were still vague to him, but he doesn't remember seeing the ends of those days.

_Could I perhaps learn to live again in a second life? _Heero thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Shinji had arrived back into the sewers and just informed Duo of what was occurring at the higher altitudes. However, Duo didn't seem to react at all. He was just quiet, sitting with his back against the wall.<p>

"Hey Shinji…" Duo said. Shinji listened to his friend. "As stubborn as the guy is, I start to wonder sometimes if you really mean something to him."

Shinji's eyes widened, "Why would I? I'm inferior to him in every single way. He probably thinks of me as a waste." He sat against the wall opposite to Duo, scattering a few mice that were there. He watched as they scurried away in several directions.

"A-and those mice aren't like that?" Duo said as he briefly laughed raucously. "They're just as, if not more frightened of the world than you are. You're far more invulnerable and valuable than you think you are, buddy."

"But what does that have to do with me and him?" Shinji asked.

Duo coughed out loudly. The harshness of the sound his voice made already made it clear that he was pushing himself to speak. "Because he's just like you. Even worse, probably."

"I find that completely unbelievable…" Shinji said, resting his head back.

"It's true, you know." Duo said. He, too, now laid his head back. "You can't really see the merry under all that scowl, but it's there alright. Yep, he's never even showed it to me in all these months of knowing the fellow. Tell me, what's he been up to whenever you were around him?"

Shinji now began to recollect the moments he had with Heero. One of them was the time on the balcony when he first got to learn a little bit about him. He was not afraid of death, that was for sure, but even then he was indifferent on being the new savior of this world. Shinji had even lent him the S-DAT tape recorder, his most valuable possession – something he used to escape reality, but even now he has no regrets of giving it away. Heero had said to him, "_I cannot believe in myself with this task, but I do believe in you_."

There was then that moment in the hallway of Nerv HQ, that moment where Heero had drove him beyond his mental limits. It resulted in Shinji hurting him horridly, allowing Shinji to realize the weakness in himself. But was that really the intention behind Heero's action? He could even remember Heero's sudden hugging, something he would expect from him last. Shinji never put any thought into that moment until now: the moment he learned that Heero did have a heart.

"Well?" Duo asked, interrupting Shinji's trail of thought.

"I let him borrow my tape recorder." Shinji said.

"The one you carry around all the time? No way!"

"Yep…"

"I thought you were somehow attached to that thing. You really couldn't let go of it if your life depended on it."

"What's done is done, though…"

Duo shrugged, "B-but anyhow, that's it?"

"I guess so. I don't really see him that much…" Shinji said.

Duo laughed one last time. The joy in this laughter seemed more blissful than any other time he had expressed happiness. Shinji admired that, but at the same time there was still the immense hoarseness in his voice. Every word that came out of Duo's mouth had comforted him up until this point, but sooner or later his strength would give in on him. He hated the thought about it.

"W-well then. I'd want to see you both mingle a lot more in the future. That'll bring this Death God a smile. Maybe you two as broskis could help one another grow together as human beings. Two unhappy souls learning to live and breathe again – I'd love that with a hint of sugar on it." Duo smiled.

Duo closed his eyes and fell over on his side. However, he did so in a strange ways! He didn't appear to be in a comforted position, but instead he looked limp. The blood on his skin had not dried yet, and in fact the stream of blood had still been flowing! Shinji's eyes widened, and he immediately called out to him:

"…Duo?" Shinji stood up and rushed towards his body. Duo did not make any sign of response at all. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and he gave it a quick shove. There was no response. A tear ran down his face, "DUO?!"

* * *

><p>"Two kilometers left! I'm ready for landing!" Heero shouted.<p>

"Be careful," Misato whispered. Heero could now hear from the other side that the Command Center was completely quiet. He could somehow see them all just staring towards the two units, many of them with their fingers crossed in prayer or their hands over their hearts.

The temperatures seemed to have risen dramatically once more, but it didn't come from the outside this time. Rather, the tensions of this descent were toying with him – whether or not he could complete this or not. Rei, still immobile, would be dependent on his triumphant or failure. He was holding the lives of two people in his hands.

Custom Unit 00 now spread its wings, slightly decreasing its speed, but even then he could predict that a collision with the ground would prove devastating. He looked on both his sides and noticed the wings were still heavily heated – melting in some areas and mildly burning! Already damaged during the battle, they wouldn't be much help to him now.

One more kilometer until they reached the hard ground. Heero blinked. The speeds this unit had approached were already too much for a safe landing. Even had they landed over water, the impact would create a tremor causing shockwaves to send tsunamis raging across the nearby lands. There was nothing more he could do now – his last resort had failed.

The heat had now affected his skin. He could already feel a mild burn running across his neck and some greater ones crossing his arms. He would probably die right before he even touched the ground, he felt. If the Eva Unit had burnt up, he was for certain he would follow. Realizing his failure, he closed his eyes gently and tilted his head downward.

"Heero?" Rei's soft voice spoke to him out of nowhere.

Heero's eyes flung open, and by glancing towards her, he found her with her eyes open! She still lay in her helpless position, but she revealed to him that she was very well alive. She now faced him, allowing them to look eye-to-eye one more time. They neither spoke a word to each other.

Rei now regained her piloting pose. Judging by the way she looked, she was ready to perform something. She, too, was also exhibiting the same pains as he was. She was panting and her face was covered in sweat! Rei was probably almost as weak as he was, and she would act with whatever of her strength remained!

Heero glanced back downward and realized impact was within seconds! Eva Unit 01 then wiggled out mildly of his grasp! It had made matters worse to him already, realizing it wasn't safe from his unit's accompanied descent! However, Unit 01 now held its hands forward, facing the ground! In a split second, an incredible wall of light now rest in between the ground and the two Eva Units! Rei had deployed an AT Field just seconds before impact with the ground! Both Eva Units had froze in midair, completely halting their free fall! Unit 01's AT Field now disappeared, allowing the units to fall casually onto the ground only doing minor damage to the landing site. The possible demise from a resulting collision was no more.

From there, Heero could now hear and see different things altogether! He had heard the Command Center at Nerv HQ cheering and rejoicing! He had also heard Misato's cries of joy. Lastly, he even could see Shinji from a location of the city of Tokyo-3 before them, holding a comatose Duo while crying in relief of what he was looking at. Heero's mind had been all over the place, but now he felt he could put it to rest now. The battle was over.

He struggled to stand up, forcing himself with all his might to stay on his legs. His unit's wings were still intact, and the moon's light – hence the moon was now visible again thanks to the defeat of the Angel – reflected off the brilliant wings. Heero already felt enlightened from the success of his mission. Custom Unit 00 now stood atop the high mountain over Tokyo-3 – a high Angel looking over it all.

He whispered, "Mission compl-…"

Suddenly, a crushing amount of pain burst from his back! He screamed in excruciating pain – far more than he's ever felt in his life! His heart beat faster than ever and the tensions in his body reached an all-time high! Faintly looking behind, he noticed Unit 01, who had just sliced off one of the Angelic wings! One wing of an angel had just been clipped.

It held a prog knife tight above its head, ready to strike down upon the unit once more! Again, it was fueled with rage unknowingly, and it desired only to kill Unit 00!

Misato, from the Command Center, dashed towards the monitor next to Maya, roaring with unforgivable power in her voice, "REI?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

They saw as Rei tried to resist her unit's current actions. Once again, her efforts meant nothing! The controls of her cockpit with null, and she couldn't do anything about it.

"The unit has gone berserk! I can't stop it! You must eject the both of us immediately!" Rei shouted as suddenly Unit 01 stabbed Custom Unit 00 through its ribcage! It had then tackled Unit 00, where they were both now tumbling down the mountain!

"She's right!" Misato declared to the Command Center. She faced some random staff members standing behind her, "Take a log of this incident, someone!" She faced Hyuga and Aoba, "Eject both pilots from their units! NOW!"

Back on the mountains, Heero felt himself bullet upward at speeds unimaginable! The pain decreased significantly, but the wounds were still there! The world became distorted to him for a whole minute, unable to feel or connect with his own body! Alas, the movement stopped. His entry plug had landed on a ground somewhere, and it was his cue to escape.

Struggling out of the cockpit chair, he now crawled towards the hatch. Now at the hatch door, he placed his hands on the wheel and manually turned it with his little strength left! The door finally flung open, and LCL now flowed out of the entry plug! Heero climbed out of the plug, but the moment he took in the fresh air once more, he felt even weaker than he did from inside the cockpit.

His vision was still distorted, but now he noticed a white figure running towards him. Slowly it cleared, and he came to realize it was just Rei in her plugsuit, evacuating her entry plug to come to his aid! She slid her hands under his shoulder blades and she lifted up, dragging him now across the grassy ground. He assumes she's trying to bring him to safety.

Heero suddenly hears another roar from an Evangelion! He glanced over to his left and saw an enraged Unit 01 charging towards them with a prog knife held above its head! Without warning, it now threw the knife, and Heero watch as it was hurling towards them at tremendous velocity! It was already clear: _Just like in the last battle with Zechs… Eva Unit 01 is trying to kill me._

Rei noticed the incoming prog knife, which was surprisingly accurate! She envelops her arms around Heero and jumps to the side! The blade stabbed right onto the point where they were just standing! The impale was powerful enough to send off a shockwave to knock the both of them away! Rei was only driven away a little, but Heero had tumbled a drastic amount more! She got up on her feet, ready to move in to save him! However, Eva Unit 01 had already caught up to the both of them! It was now standing above Heero and looking down upon him menacingly.

It reached down with a wide-open palm. The unit grabbed him, holding his entire body shoulders down. He had no free arms to do anything to resist. He was completely helpless from the grip of the unit! Its eyes now glowed upon laying sight upon his face, and immediately let out a terrifying roar! The unit was ready to crush him with its bare hand! Rei could only watch as a weak Heero could only wait for his untimely death by the Eva Unit!

"Aim all of the city's remaining defenses on Unit 01! FIRE AT WILL!" Misato ordered from back at the Command Center!

Rei now noticed firepower of many kinds now flying towards Unit 01! One after another, the rounds pelted upon Unit 01's shell, doing only slight damage but in greater numbers it seemed to have some effect! Unit 01 now wailed dreadfully from the attack, eventually falling to its knees from the onslaught! It dropped Heero, and then collapsed onto the ground headfirst. Its crash barely missed Heero, so Rei ran towards his body.

The moment she arrived, she kneeled down to get a closer look at him. His eyes were still wide-open, but he did not blink at all! There was even more blood covering his body now then ever, with wounds being seen on him that weren't done upon him in battle!

"Heero?" Rei whispered. He did not answer. "Heero?!"

Heero could still see Rei's face looking upon him! She continued to retain her blank stare, but deeper within her eyes she did not feel blank. He could somehow see into her heart now by looking into her soft, red eyes that she was willing to be his savior now. Throughout the battle, they had been saving one another from one trial after another. This would be the last of those trials. However, he couldn't even see her now all of a sudden. His vision went blank, and the world went black.

* * *

><p><strong>[1] <strong>In Episode 22 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Asuka has her most notable encounter with the Fifteenth Angel, Arael. Arael shines a beam of light upon Unit 02 and somehow torments Asuka by replaying traumatic memories of her childhood mostly regarding her deceased mother. After her incapacitation from this incident, Asuka emerges with a completely different personality in the remainder of the show. This is a very vital moment of contact between humans and Angels within the series.

**[2]** Both Wing Gundam and Wing Gundam Zero (both TV and Endless Waltz versions) have capabilities for atmospheric re-entry. Regarding Wing Zero Custom, the Endless Waltz version, the main wings serve as heat shielding for atmospheric re-entry.

**[3] **This is a reference from Heero's quote from episode 49 of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, where he says "I will survive" before destroying a large piece of the battleship Libra.


	22. Chapter 22

**New Mobile Report Gundam Wing © Bandai and Sunrise**  
><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion © Hideaki Anno and Gainax<strong>

**I recently got spammed heavily by a guest reviewer. However, I do have a lot of guest fans of this story, so if it isn't too much to ask... Could my guest reviewers please make an account so they can just review from there? Thanks. :)**

**Also, refer to the note I posted at the beginning of Chapter 21 if you can. A few edits to this chapter were made on September 1st, 2013. :o**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

People dressed in Nerv uniforms were all over this part of town. The sun had risen, and a clearer view of the destruction could be seen. Shinji realized the great crater that the cannon of Libra made was not far from him. In fact, all he had to do was to peek above his shoulder, and it would be sitting there right behind him.

However, right now he watched as medics now lifted Duo's body onto a truck, where he would be rushed to strict medical attention. He was mildly relieved they weren't wrapping him in a body bag _yet_. They wouldn't allow him anywhere near Duo right now, as they were about to perform vital professional business to save Duo's life. Shinji had thought it was for the best to stay behind, anyway.

Someone's hand then suddenly lay on his shoulder! He turned around slowly, not really caring who it was. It was only Ritsuko, giving him a soft smile.

"Duo was really lucky, Shinji. We saved him just in time," She said.

Shinji replied softly, "I was by his side this whole time."

"That was pretty cool of you," Ritsuko spoke quietly. "But I'm just so grateful right now to see the both of you alive. You have no idea."

Shinji continued to look at her blankly. He didn't return a smile.

Ritsuko frowned upon watching his mood. "Take care," She said slowly. She took her hand off Shinji and walked away to continue business with the other staff members.

Shinji began to walk in a random direction, with his head tilted forward and his hands limp by his side. He thought about Duo's health right now, wondering if he would survive or not. Nevertheless, he was alone right now, and even Ritsuko didn't provide much help for his cause. He continued to walk, but now he was shivering slightly.

Suddenly, he noticed the front half of his left foot wasn't touching any ground! Shinji gasped when he came to realize that he was just headed in the direction of the crater! The size of this pit was incalculable by human eyes, but it took roughly a large proportion of the city by just looking at it. Nerv researchers and workers were scattered about this area. There were several different things covering this area. At one end, there looked to be a piece of a long, dark object – possibly a cord or even a tentacle judging by its position. There were even pieces of drone that failed to dissolve, and their metallic remains were common in this pit. Most unusually, a large number of them seemed to be focused around one point.

Shinji squinted his eyes to focus more on what was going on at that part. He could see something like a rock that had a greenish tint and flatness along the side. _This was pretty peculiar_, he thought. However, Shinji could see a sudden shine come from that rock! There was something else there. Within a minute, the gathering workers left the rock and went their own ways. They probably didn't see what he just saw.

As he had nothing better to do, he entered the crater by sliding down the rocky ground. Lots of brown dust blew into his face on the way down, then he fell on his rear the moment he touched the bottom. Standing up, he then made his way towards that rock, avoiding a few people that were in the way. He reached the rock in minutes, and then he stared upward at its great size!

Shinji observed first what exactly that green tint was. Checking it from a different angle, he immediately discovered it to be grass!

"_Grass_?" Shinji said confusingly.

He was then curious to know what exactly was shining towards him from his first glance. He checked around the rock again, finding nothing. His eyes waved over the ground around it, and then he found it already! It was crushed under the rock – a shiny, golden rod-like object. Walking over to this article, more detail could be seen the closer he got. There were some small but fine features he could observe from just looking at it! He leaned down and reached his hand under the rock then wrapped his fingers around the rod. He gently tugged on it with one hand, but it was nailed under there! Shinji then put more force into his pull, and suddenly it popped out! It was just enough to retrieve this fine object from under the rock, though he could hardly believe it judging by the minimal amount of effort he really put.

Shinji could see the entire thing now. It was a bow for archery, a golden one. Despite being crushed under so much rock, this bow didn't seem to take any real damage or gather any dust! It was also oddly light, contrary to what it was made of. However, the bow wasn't completely intact, as he noticed the string on the bow had been broken.

He now slid his fingers across the bowstring. It had been made of fine material – whatever it was. It was a prized object, nonetheless, and Shinji had been enthralled with it since the moment he picked it up. However, one question remained for him: What was it doing here?

_Do you really think you hold the heart of a warrior?_

Somebody spoke. It wasn't anybody familiar. He looked around himself, asking out loud, "Hello?" He turned around and found somebody standing there! It was a tall man, brown-haired supposedly in his mid-20's. He wasn't wearing a Nerv uniform like everyone else around him was, but instead wore bluish attire that looked fit for a soldier. Not just any soldier, however. Judging by his fancy outfit, he looked as if he were to be a general of some sort of royal army!

"W-who are you?" Shinji asked, shivering.

_Do you think you have the strength to withstand the end? _The man didn't say a word nor did he move his mouth. All Shinji could hear was his voice speaking in his head! He held the bow out in front of him while backing away slightly.

"I-is this yours? Please do take it back. I'm sorry," Shinji insisted, gulping.

_Do you hold the courage to defend those dear to you?_ The man's voice rang through his head once more! He had first spoken to him with intimidation, but with every new statement he grew more sinister. The man only had to stand like a perfect statue in order to make his point clear. Shinji shivered more intensely the longer the man's stare had locked on him. What started to be an imagination had become an absolute nightmare!

_Where will you be when the world comes to hell?_ The man's voice was now at its most powerful. Upon ending this sentence, Shinji felt like he was struck in the chest with a bullet! His heart raced immensely, and his body went cold! His legs were collapsing on him! He fell backwards once his legs had lost all support! Dropping the bow by his side, he fell freely on his own! He had crashed through a floor of glass, and then the crater he had stood in had now become a bottomless hole, where he would fall into eternity in his guilt!

…

"Shinji?" Someone else's voice was heard now, a much more casual one.

He now suddenly found himself looking up at the bright blue skies. It was so sudden how he found himself returned to the real world. It was some sort of hallucination he had just witnessed – a horrifying one! However, it did seem so real to him. The words that were spoken through his head felt real, as well! Even now, he was shaking in fear. The sounds of the fresh breeze brushed through his ears, but the dreaded voice of the man lingered in his soul.

"You really picked the wrong place to take a nap, son," The unknown person said. Shinji lifted his head and noticed it was just a random Nerv worker who found him lying down in the crater. "You're lucky I wasn't the Commander. Get going before you get into any trouble, okay?" The worker left.

Shinji sat up with his fingers planted on his forehead. As his eyes waved to the left, he found the golden bow lying on the ground – now broken! His eyes widened in to how did it suddenly break. This bow was a complete omen to him, he knew. Just looking at it continued to give him chills! Without hesitation he stood up and ran away from it. He dashed up the sides of the crater then climbed his way out, not bothering to turn back towards the rock or the broken bow.

* * *

><p>(One week later)<p>

Heero's eyes began to open slowly. That was the only part of his body he could actually move right now, oddly enough. The room was quite dark and he couldn't really see anything initially, but he could feel no movement in his body as a whole. He then blinked for the first time after waking up. His vision slowly came back to him, but not very much. Heero had been lying on a bed, and peeking over to his sides he could see various parts of his body and face being wrapped in bandages. There were even needles stuck in his veins that were attached to other medical equipment he couldn't see. Most notably, the clock on the right-hand corner of the room read 12 o'clock midnight, a coincidental time to be waking up.

"Oh, Heero!" Someone spoke out loud. "Thank God you finally open your eyes!" The excitement in this person's voice was obvious, as it belonged to none other than Duo.

Heero could see Duo standing to his side. Duo had not looked normal, either, but was still in far better shape than he was. Duo used two crutches to support himself, and there were a few patches on his body – his forehead and lower right ankle. Duo was smiling, however, at the sight that Heero was awake.

"Damn, I thought _I_ was done for out there. But here I'm looking at you right now all mummified in those bandages! Don't forget being a pin cushion," Duo giggled. "I've been visiting you every night for the past couple days at this hour. Yep, you've been in a coma for a little over a week. I recovered a lot faster than I thought, and so did you. You really took one hell of a beating out there, didn't you?" Duo smirked. "You really are the stubborn loser who hasn't changed a bit."

Heero couldn't speak, as his vocal cords also seemed injured. He could hear Duo's jokingly attitude as he talked, signaling his express of happiness. Right now, Heero only wanted to listen to his friend chat with him. He was a little unaware what happened to him after the battle.

"In case you're wondering what's going on outside, well… The city's been in rapid reconstruction thanks to a lot of funding by the U.N and whatnot. The rest of the world, well… I hope they're doing alright," Duo said and nodded. "I guess you really weren't meant to pilot that Eva Unit. I heard from Ritsuko about those complications that were around when you first tried to pilot it. Even then, you did have a hefty amount of trouble on your hands this time around," Duo mentioned, in which Heero agreed with him. "Heck, if Unit 01 really wanted your head skewered, then I'd _really_ stay the hell away from them!" Duo shuddered and grinned. "But yeah buddy. Don't know if you actually liked piloting that thing, but I don't think you oughta force yourself into that mess again."

They were both quiet for a moment. Duo began whistling as he stared directly at the wall in front of him. The infirmary was in general a quiet place, but it really served as a haven for two persons to talk in peace. Only one of them could actually talk, however.

"Anyhow, Ritsuko and her team are figuring out the whole Unit 01 issue. They all got a heart attack by just watching it pummel your unit!" Duo said. "It's getting a little late, pal. I wanted to ask you right now how are things going between you and Shinji, but obviously you're not in the shape to tell me. If you could listen to just one request of mine for you, it's that I really wanna see you two hang around more," Duo said. He looked towards Heero one more time, "Hear me when I say that you could help him more than I ever could. He just trusted you with his life, if you know what I mean."

Duo slid his crutches into a comfortable position beneath his shoulders. He now made his way towards the door. Reaching his hand out for the doorknob, he said out loud before he left:

"Stay cool, buddy."

Duo said it so casually yet so warmly. Heero could hear that Duo really wanted him to recover, even though he didn't explicitly state it. Exhausted once again, Heero drifted back to sleep. His body felt even more weakened, but he felt it was worthwhile from listening to some thoughtful words from his friend.

* * *

><p>The door slammed! Heero's eyes flung open in shock! Again, his body was still feeling tremendously weak and he couldn't move about. He only moved his eyes forward to see what was the commotion all about. He looked over the clock quickly, reading it was 12 midnight once again. Now that he was no longer in a coma, he could tell a whole twenty-four hours have passed since Duo had come in.<p>

He then heard footsteps coming towards him. Peeking over to his left, he now found a red-haired girl sitting on a stool with eyes closed and her legs crossed. It was Asuka, definitely, but she appeared to be in a bitter demeanor judging by the way she sat.

"Guess you're wondering why I'm here, huh?" Asuka sarcastically said. "What? Are you expecting I'll say 'Congratulations, Heero!' or something stupid like that?"

Asuka's first words to him were just a huge mockery, thus Heero went bewildered to what she just said. She was upset for some odd reason. More than just upset, it appeared.

Asuka opened her eyes and looked towards him, "Not at all. I'm here to tell you how much of an idiot you were out there! I can't believe your persistence just swallowed you like that – getting caught up in a whole shenanigan with your Eva Unit! Not once but twice already did this happen! Are you _trying_ to get your partners killed or something?"

Heero was growing resentful at what Asuka was saying. He felt as though she didn't even know what she was talking about. The situation was something none of them could help, and here she was putting blame on him.

"Don't even get me started that you couldn't help it," Asuka said. She stood up from the stool and walked in front of his bed, where she stuck her feet onto the hard floor. Giving him a fierce look, she spoke, "You and Wonder Girl were being the heroes for a while, and then right when you get back here you have to cause more trouble! THIS is just the consequences for the stupidity of the both of you!" Asuka asserted, referring to Heero's troubled state.

Heero thought Asuka's anger at him was just plain ridiculous. She had no reason to be enraged over something that didn't involve her. Heero didn't even know what she was up to when he was still combating the Angel.

"You should _really_ hear all of the talk around Nerv about all the praise you're getting. You would feel like such the champion, _Heero Almighty_."

Heero could now sense Asuka's great jealousy in her. The fact that she used a silly hyperbolic name to refer to him gave it away. However, Heero didn't even feel she was telling the complete truth of the first half of her statement. He felt as though the incident had overshadowed the Eva Pilots' victory.

"Why don't you bathe in your glory now that you've heard about it from me?" Asuka sneered. She crossed her arms and turned her head away and whispered, "Why do I live in a world that revolves around that moron, Shinji Ikari, and now you?" She turned back to Heero and snapped, "WHAT do I need to do to get the attention I do deserve? For crying out loud! Can't they even see that you're not the only important person living on this GODDAMN PLANET?!"

He could now see her be hurt by just uttering the words right now. It turned from jealousy to woe. This time Asuka was speaking from her heart, although Heero could hardly accept it.

"I know you don't like piloting the Evangelion. However, I HATE it completely. Misato threw me back into this shit because I had no other choice! Whenever I'm inside of that garbage, there's always a force out there that _has_ to remind me! Remind me that I'm some miserable little girl who dreams to prove her maturity and worthiness to the world**[1]**, but FAILS!" Asuka shouted. "The fact that these thoughts are coming back is just about why I'll never be able to pilot Unit 02 again! Why don't you figure out why?!"

Asuka looked at him so angrily now. She still didn't explain what was going on and why she was feeling this way. Heero, however, took the hint that this took place during the battle when they went their separate ways to complete the fight. These feelings she was having too, what did she mean by that she couldn't pilot her own unit again? She now began to calm down.

"Have you ever been in love before, Heero?" Asuka asked out of nowhere. "Have you lost anyone like that?"

Heero couldn't even respond to this question, even if he knew the answer. He continued to blankly stare at her, as he was unable to speak. Let alone, he did not have a real response to this question. He thought deeply into it, but nothing came to him. He couldn't feel any kind of love, nor has he ever known it to begin with.

"Try losing someone like that, and tell me how it feels…" Asuka murmured while staring at the wall. She then turned her head aggressively back towards Heero, "You know _nothing_ about me and I intend to learn _nothing_ about you! From now on, I'm just another stranger to you! A stranger who's less foolish and more humble than you are – Asuka Langley Soryu! Charmed, huh?!**[2]**"

There was only pure hatred coming out of Asuka's mouth now. Her rage had reached its peaks, and her she was revealing it. Until now, she still hasn't revealed the reason to why she was outraged, and he knew the incident was far from being the reason. Held in her left hand, she pulled out a folder. Walking over to the small coffee table to his side, she slammed it on the table then immediately turned her back towards the door.

As she approached the door, she whispered, "I was asked by Ritsuko to give that to you… But I would've done my business without delivering it. Goodbye."

She heaved the door open and walked out, shutting it loudly from behind her. Heero could only dwell on the heaviness of the anger she just exhibited. His mind wandered for sense to why she would act this way. The hints of her bringing up "love" were most mysterious. Growing tired once again, he fell asleep once more with the thought still in his head.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Heero?" Someone softly spoke to him. Heero struggled to wake up this time. The first thing he saw in the corner was the time, which was 12:00 midnight yet again. An entire day has passed since Asuka visited him.<p>

He scanned the room for anybody until he finally found someone sitting on his right side. It was a boy in a school uniform occupying the stool now – it was Shinji. Shinji had been in a completely different stature than Asuka from the night before. He had his arms flopping to his sides and his entire body was droopy. Shinji was staring down at the floor, as well, hinting his misery.

"Sorry for waking you up like this…" Shinji said very quietly. With no change in his posture, he continued to speak, "I wanted to ask you this for a long time."

Shinji briefly paused after he said that. The fact that he was confronting Heero right now implied Shinji's desperation. He waited momentarily for what Shinji was about to say.

"H-have you ever doubted yourself before? Duo's told me that you and I were quite alike, but I don't know if he meant like this," Shinji said. "I can't help that whenever I'm near you thinking how much better you are than me. Come to think of it, I really like you did. You have everything it takes to be a hero. I could never imagine you being hurt."

Heero found this typical of Shinji to say. He was berating himself once again, but oddly Shinji seemed to enjoy it. Still not moving from his seat, he continued talking.

"I-I'm so lonely now… I dare not even think of what I've lost. Duo tried to help me out of it, but it's always waiting there to get me again. I can't even approach anyone anymore**[3]**. Don't you just wanna run away from reality for once? When everything just seems hopeless?"

Heero went barren. There was a little truth to Shinji's question. He could somehow remember all of those times he had killed another person. Many of them were soldiers, but they were, too, innocent at heart. He felt it in countless people's he's hurt. He had wanted it to stop all along, but of course disregarding it was no option. Was this to the extent Shinji was facing? He wanted to say the pain was greater, but he didn't know Shinji well enough.

"I hate myself more than anything else. That's all you need to know about me," Shinji finally stood up. He walked towards the door, showing no emotion in his face. Heero didn't even see him blink since he found him sitting on that stool. Shinji sighed heavily, saying in a very muted tone, "Please get well soon, Heero."

Shinji, with his body still bent forward, walked very slowly out the door. He gently closed the door behind him, leaving Heero in the dark room of the infirmary.

* * *

><p><em>Murderer.<em>

Heero woke up again! He blinked rapidly for a second, clearing his vision as much as he could to see who it was who spoke to him!

He finally saw right before his bed who it was. There he found Rei wearing her plugsuit staring right towards him! As usual, she stared at him blankly, but a strange ambience had aroused her presence!

"_Intruder,_" She whispered. The words came out of her mouth like thunder. Very maliciously she spoke, and it froze Heero instantly! Rei was saying these words with hostility – Heero could just feel it from her. What troubled him more was how she was presenting herself in a plugsuit. _What's gotten into her_? He thought.

Rei now walked to the side of his bed, continuing to lock her gaze with his. She leaned downward with her face in front of his, and then she whispered:

"You've come to bring _demise_."

As she concluded her sentence, her hands swung forward and wrapped around his neck! She now pressed her thumbs into his throat, attempting to choke him! Heero had finally made a sound – a wail in distress! His bandaged arms flailed side to side, detaching the nearby gadgets from his body. The heart rate monitor to his side beeped hurriedly, signaling the surpassing of his body's limits! That was the only sound he could hear, along with his own heart pumping briskly! Rei would kill him any minute now!

Slowly Heero began to run out of breath! Unable to defend himself with his torn down body, he was rendered completely powerless. He wanted to know why was she doing this to him, and what drove her to this madness. He was seconds away from death, as he was now at its gates!

_Sinner_. The last words he heard from Rei.

…

Heero shouted! He awoke covered in heavy sweat, and his body feeling frailer than ever before. _It was only a horrid dream_. He thought. There was the clock in the corner, which read midnight, a pattern he realized the night before. However, there was something different about right now. His breaths were even denser than ever, and there were various pains about his whole body! It had been by far the worst of his conditions in the past few days. Regardless of whether Rei had really killed him in his dreams or not, he knew he was ready to die tonight.

Looking forward, he suddenly was not surprised to see who was there. Rei had been standing in the exact spot where she first stood in his dreams! However, rather in her plugsuit, she was wearing her typical attire of a girl's school uniform. There was also a large bandage covering her right eye, and a cast covering her right arm**[4]**. She gave him the exact same look as she did in his dream, only this time she had signs of injury on her, too.

Heero could predict what she came here for already. Rage now flooded his soul, thus restoring a little bit of his strength and ignoring his fatal condition. Trying to move his arms upward in defense, he braced himself for any attempt by her on his life. However, he was far too weak to even lift them a foot! He dropped both of his arms, panting mightily.

"Tell no one about this," Rei whispered in her soft voice.

She walked up to him from the exact same side of the bed from his dream, continuously looking upon his wounded face. However, much to his surprise, she sat down on the bed next to him, sliding her left hand under his neck. Heero grunted and looked at her angrily with his eyes, trying to intimidate her away. She didn't respond to this threat, however, as she now pulled his head closer to her.

Eventually, he felt the side of his head pressing against her left breast. He could hear something else, too: the sound of her heartbeat. There was something particular about this contact with her smooth skin that astounded him. It was very well like any other human indeed, including the feel from her touch. Heero then felt a droplet fall down onto his cheek. He peered upward, realizing that a tear had run down her cheek**[5]**. This was an immense feeling Rei was exhibiting, a sensation even he never imagined from her, let alone himself.

Heero was experiencing a different part of Rei now. He could recognize the will of the human she was, and the amount of sorrow she displayed. She was not afraid to express an emotion at this very moment, which shocked him even further. Rei had been willing to open herself with compassion, demonstrating it right now. It was a completely paradoxical side of Rei, a part of her that reversed what she showed on the outside. She had been a warm soul deep within - Heero had felt all this from listening to her heartbeat.

"Forgive me," She whispered. She leaned down her head and kissed him softly on the forehead. This was her confession to Heero that she was sorry for nearly killing him in battle – the powerful message spoken through this kiss. She laid his head back against the bed and immediately stood up. Rei walked towards the door and left the room without word.

Heero could suddenly not feel any more pain. The heart rate monitor to his side now beeped normally. His spirits were lifted as he now felt himself sitting upward once again! He unraveled the bandages, revealing the wounds that were very well still there, but have recovered a lot for the most part. He then felt his legs stretch out of the blanket. He looked upon his naked body where he now learned that he was almost at a full recovery!

The folder that Asuka left him two nights ago was still lying on the table beside him. He reached out and took the folder, placing it on his lap. Right before he was about to open it, the thought of Rei returned to him. He asked himself in his mind:

_What did she just do to me?_

* * *

><p><strong>[1]<strong> An example of Asuka's inner persona. It is revealed mainly through the flashbacks regarding her mother's death in the later episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

**[2] **When Asuka briefly suffers a mental reflection of herself, she sees a mirror image of herself saying "I'm Asuka. Asuka Langley Soryu. Charmed, huh?" She initially stated this when she wrote her name on the board introducing herself to Shinji's class. Looking back at this moment, she strongly regrets saying this and cries out that is nothing like her.

**[3] **In the End of Evangelion, Shinji mentions to an unconscious Asuka that he is afraid of Rei and Misato. It was a result of all the buildups of tension in his mind from preceding events in the show.

**[4] **An iconic appearance of Rei is a bandaged version of her. She first appeared this way in episode 1, where Shinji first meets her before piloting an Eva Unit.

**[5] **The only time Rei cried in the Evangelion canon was following the birth of Rei III in Episode 23. She explores her own emotions in this particular episode, as she learns that even she can feel despair.


End file.
